Children of the Stars
by Lady Librarian
Summary: Howl and Sophie return from the otherworld, but has their battle ended? Tragedy and loss threaten to tear the family apart. Join the cast of Howl's Moving Castle in Part II of the Wallmaker Saga.
1. Chapter 1: Home and Hearth

Hello everyone!

This is the first chapter of the second part of the Wallmaker Series. I recommend you read the first part, _Beyond the Indigo Veil_, before reading the following story.

Be forewarned, it's gonna get dark for a while. But have hope and remember that joy, like sorrow, often comes in threes.

Thanks again for reading!

Lady Librarian .

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Children of the Stars: Part II of the Wallmaker saga **

**Chapter 1: Home and Hearth**

A war was going on inside of Sophie's stomach.

"Oh!" She gasped as the tiny life inside her dealt a strong kick to her back.

"What is it, Sophie? Are you alright? Is it the baby? Can I get something for you?" Howl's worried, and sleepy, voice reached her through the early morning light. He had been sound asleep a moment ago.

As she progressed in her pregnancy her husband had become more and more nervous for her health, fussing over every sound she made and hanging about waiting on her every word.

It was positively vexing.

But she was feeling quite content at the moment, in spite of the fact that she couldn't sleep.

"He's kicking," was her short reply, and she placed Howl's hand on her swollen belly. The raven-haired wizard was silent for a long moment.

"No wonder you can't sleep. Does he do that all the time?"

"No," she giggled at the incredulous tone in Howl's voice, "But he's been really active early in the morning recently."

It had been almost four months since they had gone beyond the Dull Wall and returned once more to the mortal world. She had managed to escape the Dark without loosing her husband or the beginnings of the life that grew within her. A semblance of peace had descended upon the family, in spite of the spinning world that went on beyond the walls of the flying castle.

Outside the harsh winds of winter whistled and blew eddies of drifting snow, which blanketed the entire wastes in white. It had been an early winter, which meant discomfort for them, but devastation for the people of Ingary. The majority of the north part of the country had been affected by the blizzard and most of the wheat crop was lost to frost and damp rot. Normally this would not have been a problem because King Ferdinand kept a healthy store of grain in Kingsbury for such occasions.

But all of the farming communities in Tyrn had been affected as well. Young King Walden had sent a desperate plea for help and Ferdinand had responded generously. However, it meant that grain would have to be rationed among the poorest folk. And that meant hard winter for both kingdoms.

But Sophie turned her mind away to happier things.

The previous evening they received word that Martha and Barimus had returned from their honeymoon. Sophie's mind wandered back to that joyous evening. The two had married under the mid-winter moon among the verdant green plants in the Palace Greenhouse. The red wizard had exchanged vows with a radiant bride, veiled and dressed in forest green. It had been a grand affair, full of pomp and circumstances. Their mother Honey had been absolutely ecstatic; like in the fairy tales, the blond woman had always hoped that her youngest would marry royalty. Barimus was Royal Wizard, and that was close enough for her.

Sophie had always been awkward around crowds of people. And she felt as out of place as ever among all the fancy courtiers that rubbed elbows in Barimus' circles. But she was determined to make her youngest sister's wedding a success.

Between she and Howl they had brought hundreds of magic red roses, which were an impossible extravagance in the middle of winter. Her middle sister Lettie once again catered the event, who never once removed her toddler from her hip. The pretty blond was dressed in her finest uniform, a great flounced pink get-up with a matching white ruffled apron.

The woman orchestrated an entire fleet of apprentices and palace pages with the ease of a seasoned navel captain. Under the strict line of communication between Lettie and her husband in the kitchen of Ceasri's café, the two had taken command of every closet and office doorway in the tiny restaurant. Servants issued forth from the kitchen archway with treat laden trays and great platters of sumptuous food, for the arch had been converted into a magic portal. They served a banquet in Kingsbury Palace from a kitchen in Market Chipping, and the feast went off without a hitch.

However, in the process Lettie had managed to make a few enemies in the royal kitchen, which was cold and empty at the moment. Her sister grinned fiercely, placing her free hand on her hip triumphantly when her mother Honey mentioned the sour looks she was receiving from the court chef.

"All is fair in war and catering," the rosy cheeked woman laughed resolutely. She turned on a dime, beamed gregariously and began chatting with another courtier that came by to ask for her card and compliment her cooking. Mr. Hausa, their new step father, chuckled merrily and smiled proudly. He wasn't a man of many words, but his new wife had enough for both of them.

Somehow word had gotten out that Sophie was expecting. Even the ruler of Ingary, King Ferdinand, had come by to tickle her hand with his moustache and exclaimed congratulations in his booming voice. If anyone had not known she was pregnant, they knew now. She had it in her mind to kick the monarch, but decided against it. If she was going to kick anyone it would be her younger sister. But it wouldn't do to plant her foot the bride's backside on her wedding day.

She had told her sister Martha not long after she had told Howl, but had sworn the hedge witch to secrecy. Hah! If there had ever been a secret in her family, it never lasted long. Martha went and told Lettie almost immediately, who in turn told their mother, who went and told the entire village of Chipping Market. At the time she had not yet begun to show, but gossip never needed sound proof to be taken seriously.

Many women the silver haired witch had never met before came by the table to inquire about her health and give their blessings and advice. Sophie ended up cuddling Markl in her lap and begging the little apprentice to pretend to be asleep so people would leave her alone. He squirmed restlessly and she finally gave up on the ruse.

As the evening progressed, Martha came to sit at their table. The dark haired woman was absolutely giddy with happiness and she chattered with uncharacteristic verbaciousness. Even Honey and Mrs. Fairfax, who were veteran natterers, found it difficult to get a word in edgewise.

"Oh, what a chatty bride," Granny Witch had murmured happily as she held a skein of yarn for Mrs. Fairfax, who was also seated at their table.

The two old women had become inseparable over the past few months, and the former witch of the wastes spent more time in the Folding Valley than she did in the castle. Howl had created a temporary portal to the Fairfax's farm through the tiny bathroom on the first floor since the closet under the stairs was already occupied by a gate to Market Chipping.

Calcifer, who at first was resolutely apposed to the former witch's presence at the castle, had moped about sulkily as Granny became present less and less. The little fire daemon had become quite attached to the old woman. But Cal began spending more and more time with Markl, and the two were off in the greenhouse somewhere, hopefully not causing mischief.

Howl and Barimus also disappeared off at some point in the evening, much to Sophie's chagrin. Her extroverted husband attracted conversation like bees to honey, and he had been absorbing the majority of the attention directed at his silver haired wife. For that she was exceedingly grateful. Although, she had picked up a few tricks from Howl, and managed to foist most of the attention off onto Martha.

As the party began to wind down Lettie had leaned over and whispered secretively in her eldest sister's ear that her wedding to Howl had been far more splendid. Sophie was almost annoyed with her sister for showing favoritism, but no one could be cross with Lettie for long. She was impulsive and brisk, but her intentions were genuine, and she always spoke her mind. Instead she laughed at the knowing look her sister gave her as she cuddled her little baby girl; _I told you so_, it said confidently.

She was dozing slightly, listening absently to Martha and Honey chatter when Howl appeared suddenly at her elbow. They said their goodbyes and went to collect their son and his fiery chaperone. Sophie had noticed that the look in her husband's eyes did not match the dazzling smile on his face. The silver haired witch could always tell when he was irritated because he smoothed the back of his hair unnecessarily and often fiddled with his earrings. Her witchy sense told her that he and Barimus had not parted on good terms.

She wilted slightly; couldn't they ever leave the palace without something bad happening?

Whatever it was, Howl kept his own council. It had been almost a month since the wedding and he had never mentioned anything to her. Returning to the present from her recollections, Sophie looked over at her husband and found him sleeping peacefully, his hand still resting on her stomach. She smirked at the way he sprawled on the pillows with reckless abandon, mouth agape in a soft snore. She was wide awake but decided to let him sleep. There would be enough sleepless nights for him once the baby arrived.

Carefully extracting herself from their bed, Sophie grimaced and placed her hands behind her back. She felt 90 years old again as she crept out of their room and down to the fireplace. She could hear Granny Witch snoring softly and knew she would not wake up even if she banged together all the pots and pans in the kitchen. Calcifer was glowing pale and yellow in the ashes, but the hint of red in his color belied the fact that the little spark was not asleep.

"No use pretending, Cal. I know you're awake." She spoke knowingly as she settled into the plush couch. The ember peeked open an eye and regarded her sideways with mild irritation.

"You're too witchy for your own good sometimes, know that?"

Sophie laughed and settled back against the cushions as the life within her began doing back flips. She made a cross-eyed face and placed her hands on her stomach; four more months of this and the worst was yet to come. Cal had flickered larger and was regarding her growing belly with a disquiet expression.

"Is it moving again?" He crackled curiously, hints of pink creeping into his edges.

"_He_ is."

"Why aren't you in bed?" Calcifer popped distractedly as he hunkered back into the ashes.

"I can't sleep when the little one is being acrobatic," Sophie replied as she rubbed her tummy.

Calcifer watched her for a moment with an enigmatic sideways glance, then reached out a thin tendril of flame to pull the kettle closer to his fire. He dragged another log over from the bin and began to chew it noisily. After a moment the little flame stared at her with meaning, and then shifted his eyes to the front door and back mysteriously. Suddenly there was a brisk knock at the front portal and Sophie jumped, making a froggish face.

"You have a visitor from Kingsbury," Cal spoke crankily, "He made me swear to secrecy."

Standing with difficulty, the silver haired witch hurried to the door and let in half the winter outside before a tall figure wrapped in a thick crimson cloak could enter.

"Woo! It's blowing out there!" The red wizard shivered violently as he stamped and wiped his boots on the front mat.

"Barimus!" She exclaimed in surprise as she looked up at her brother in law. The blond wizard smiled at her warmly as he hooked his cloak onto the wall.

"Hello, little sister," He beamed down at her, hugging the little witch carefully as he regard her growing belly.

"I'm quite fine and I'm anything but little, thank you," she replied testily as she went back to the couch and eyed Calcifer, who was doing his best to pretend to be asleep.

Barimus pulled up the spare chair and warmed his hands over the fire. She crossed her arms and regarded her sister's husband crossly.

"Have you been eavesdropping, Barimus?"

"A little; I wanted to make sure that Howl was asleep before I came. Besides, Calcifer told me you'd be up this early."

"Now we're fraternizing with the enemy and keeping secrets, are we Cal?" Sophie watched the little flame shrink under her stare.

"Don't be angry with him, Sophie. He did it for me as a favor," the weary tone in Barimus' voice melted away any annoyance she had felt about the red wizard's early morning visitation. She glanced back at the blond man and noted that he had dark circles under his eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line.

"Why aren't you at home with Martha?" She asked mildly, hoping reverently the two weren't already having a fight.

"She doesn't know I'm here. I left her sleeping," He replied quickly with a shiver "I'm here because I need your help, Sophie."

The kettle gave a soft hiss and Sophie flicked he hand at it. It pushed back from the fire under the invisible hand of her magic. Cal gave a start and regarded her curiously. The silver haired witch waved a hand over her shoulder, never taking her eyes off of Barimus. A cup lifted from the kitchen shelves and filled with tea before it sailed over to her waiting palm. She leaned forward and poured the hot water into the cup, handing it to her brother-in-law.

"Thank you, Sophie. I see you're getting used to your magic," he replied in amusement, making polite conversation.

"Everything hurts when you're pregnant, Barimus, especially your feet. Normally I wouldn't be this lazy, but the ground is cold. What can I do for you?"

Her first words were irritated, but she softened towards the end and watched the red wizard relax. She felt a close kinship to Barimus, one that had been present even before he had married her younger sister. The two of them had experience great hardship together; that made them family of a kind stronger than blood and marriage.

"The wizard's council is in shambles," Barimus began in an exhausted voice.

"The murder of witch Suliman by a daemon and the Wallbreaker's betrayal has thrown them into chaos. Many have flat out refused to acknowledge me as the Council Leader because I was not stipulated in Suliman's will as her legitimate heir.

"The majority of the new councilors are young wizards and witches sent from Marda and Tyrn to replace those lost to the daemon the Wallbreaker's let into this world. They're presence should have ensured that the balance was restored to the council. The alliance between Ingary, Marda, and Tyrn depends on the strong leadership of the Wizard's Council. But their ambitions outweigh their duty and they're vying for power through political alliances and intrigue.

"The few elders left on the council are still shocked and paralyzed with doubt. They are closer to the otherworld than the young ones, and they still feel keenly the heinous crimes committed by the Wallbreaker. Plus, they are terrified that the Dull Wall has failed and that daemons are trying to steal their souls."

"What they don't understand and what they won't believe is all their quibbling only weakens the Wall further. I had hoped that things would have settled down after Martha and I came home, but it was foolish of me to think so. We're in the middle of the worst winter ever recorded, trying to cope with a massive food shortage and the idiots are quibbling over votes and titles!"

Barimus sat down his tea and scrubbed his face with his hands. With a frustrated growl he sank back into his chair and stared moodily into the fire. Sophie heard the soft click of nails on the wood floor and Heen emerged from Granny Witch's bedroom. The little dog came over and sat next to the red wizard, wagging his tail gently. The dog wheezed softly and sat on Barimus' feet. The blond haired wizard looked down at him and the aggravation melted from his face. He reached down and patted the little creature on his head. Calcifer popped softly.

"What does this have to do with me?" Sophie was not unsympathetic; in fact she had been worrying about the state of the food crisis. But she had a sneaking suspicion that Barimus was trying to use her as a bargaining chip again. The red wizard stared into the fire, avoiding her eyes.

"I tried talking to Howl about this, but he flat out refused to speak of the Wizard's Council or its problems."

Ah, so that's what it was. The silver haired witch remembered the look on Howl's face as they left their wedding.

"I'm shocked that you even tried, Barimus!" She cut him off regarding him reproachfully.

"You know how Howl feels about the Wizard's Council. He's still grieving for his Uncle and it reminds him too much of Agyrus; please understand how hard loosing the last of his family has been for him."

"I'm an orphan as well, Sophie, don't forget that! You don't see me hiding under a pile of pillows!" Barimus retorted angrily. The red wizard was normally unflappable, but circumstances had pushed him beyond his normal limits.

"I'm sorry, Sophie. I didn't mean to snap at you," he immediately apologized, a contrite expression passing over his face.

"It's alright, Barimus. I understand your situation and to a certain extent I also understand your frustration with Howl. I just don't appreciate being used as a deal broker."

"You're the only one that Howl will listen to. If you could just convince him-"

Sophie cut him off again, but did so gently, "That's where you're mistaken, Barimus. Howl makes his own decisions; I have no control over him anymore than you do. But I am willing to hear you out."

A look of relief flooded across his face and the blond wizard swiveled his chair to face the silver haired witch. Sophie regarded him in the moment before he began describing his plan. He looked thinner than normal, and the 90 year old woman that lurked in the back of her mind clucked her tongue. His face was thin and delicately handsome like Howl's but he had more of a stubborn chin and a wider mouth. Lines of age had begun to show around his eyes. Sophie tried to remember; Barimus was at least four or five years older than Howl.

But what did age mean to a wizard? There was no way to tell for sure how old any of them actually were. They spent so much time between worlds that time really had no meaning to them anymore. But she was drawn out of her musings as Barimus began telling her his plan.

"I need you and Howl to scare some sense into the Council. You should hear them talk about you two. They whisper your names with more reverence than they speak of the 1,000 gods."

_Great_, Sophie grumbled in annoyance at the silliness of human nature, _Now we're gods!_ But Barimus continued without noticing her grimace.

"In the eyes of the Council you both are the rightful heirs to Suliman's place of leadership. Plus, you both are the ones who defeated the Dark and rebuilt the Dull Wall. They'll believe you when you tell them the story. When I tried to explain what happened they thought I was trying to jockey for power.

"That's a bunch of rot," Calcifer chimed in suddenly, popping and crackling with irritation, "You had a hand in every part of the battle, Barimus. You are as much a hero as any of us."

"Thank you, Calcifer," the red wizard smiled wearily at the incensed little fire daemon, "But try telling that to the Council."

"Most view me as a usurper and contradict everything I say. That's why you must come and speak at the Council. They will believe you when you tell the story of what happened. Plus, your presence will assure the elders that there is nothing to worry about.

"It would be for just a little while, Sophie, long enough to make it clear that you and Howl are the ones who appointed me Council Leader. If you back me publicly, it will give me legitimacy in their eyes. Hopefully they'll start cooperating and we can work out this blood mess!"

Barimus finished by punching his fist into his open hand. The silver haired witch was very impressed by how strongly Barimus felt about the situation. It was clear from the look on his face how determined he was to reconsolidate the Council. Sophie did not need Barimus to explain that the Alliance between Ingary, Marda, and Tyrn depended on it.

Howl was right; Barimus did indeed make an excellent Royal Wizard.

"I'll see what I can do, Barimus," she replied after a moment of staring into the distance. This was not going to be easy.

"Wonderful!" The red wizard exclaimed and he flew to his feet with renewed vigor.

"Don't thank me yet," she replied dubiously.

"You have my sincerest thanks, dear sister. You also have my utmost confidence," Barimus gave a flourishing bow, his face alight with charm.

"Go home, Barimus," Sophie replied as she rolled her eyes.

The red wizard bowed his way out of the house. Turning the magic knob to the red mark, her brother in law wrapped himself in his great crimson cloak. As he opened the door and disappeared into the streets of Kingsbury, he let in the other half of winter. Sophie shivered in the cold draft and scooted over as Heen jumped up into the couch and curled up on her feet. She and Calcifer stared mildly at one another for quite some time.

"I don't envy you at all, Sophie. I can't believe you let monster's husband talk you into this," he popped and snapped. The little flame still had not forgiven Martha for trying to smother him with a water bucket when he accidentally spit soot on her.

"Can it, Cal. I'm trying to think," she frowned moodily as the wheels in her head began to turn.

xXx

"Oh, what a dear little boy," Granny Witch mumbled as she helped Markl into his snow parka.

The wizard's apprentice winced and cast his eyes at the castle ceiling as more sounds of things breaking filtered down from upstairs.

"Why are Master Howl and Sophie fighting, Calcifer? They never fight." The young boy seemed very worried as heated voices filtered down from upstairs. Calcifer cracked an eye as the ceiling above groaned and twisted slightly, sending bits of plaster tumbling to the floor.

"They're not fighting. They're having a discussion," he popped cryptically.

"Sounds like fighting to me," Markl frowned. The little boy gave a start as the shadows in the kitchen began to darken and the stairs groaned and twisted under the magic born from the emotions of the pair upstairs.

"You'd better go, there's no telling what they're liable to conjure in the mood their in," Cal frowned casting an anxious glance around the kitchen.

"Tea and honey buns at Mrs. Fairfax's; oh, what a wonderful visit we'll have," Granny Witch mumbled again as she picked up Heen and opened a snowy portal through the bathroom door. Markl came a few steps after, casting a troubled glance over his shoulder as he shut the door. Shortly after the old woman and the young boy left, the discussion moved downstairs.

"I can't BELIVE he put you up to this!" Howl yelled as he pounded down the stairs to pace the kitchen, his eyes bright with fury. Sophie followed shortly behind him, walking with calm steps to stand in the middle of the living room. She watched her husband stride around the kitchen, trailing a long shadow of sick green mists.

"Barimus is desperate, Howl. He would not have come to me if he had not exhausted all of his resources."

"This isn't our problem, Sophie; we've already done enough for the Alliance! The idiots on the council need to learn take responsibility for themselves; if we step in now they'll never leave us alone."

"This is exactly what I'm talking about, Howl. What about _our_ responsibilities? Barimus is family; we have a duty to help him. He's not asking for much," she replied evenly.

"Yes he is!" Howl yelled with vehemence.

He was throwing a child's tantrum over a rather simple request. But Sophie had an excellent understanding of the mercurial moods her husband was subject to. He often over-reacted with the opposite emotion of what he was feeling at the moment. Even now the silver haired witch could see the pain in his eyes and the fear in his heart. Howl held the council responsible for allowing the Wallbreaker to rule over them with fear instead of fighting back; as a result he also blamed the Council's cowardice for his uncle's death.

Sophie had known this conversation was going to be hard for Howl. They had not spoken of what had taken place in the otherworld, nor had they talked about Agyrus' death. She did not begrudge her husband's silence, but she would not let him slither-out of important obligation because he did not want to dwell on the past. She knew Howl would come around eventually, although this time he was being particularly stubborn.

"Howl, your brother needs our help!"

"He can take care of himself!" Howl replied sulkily, turning his back to her.

Sophie lost her patience; she was tired, she was cranky, her feet hurt and her back ached. It was freezing, even inside the magic walls of the castle and she had enough of her husband's childish behavior. Stamping her foot she yelled at her husband giving both he and Calcifer a fright.

"For heaven's sake, Howl, quit acting like a child and listen to me!

"You won't be forced to take leadership of the council and you're not going to become your uncle. I won't let that happen. But you need to accept that you are the Wallmaker now! As the most powerful wizard alive in this moment you have a responsibility to deal this situation!"

The surprise on Howl's face was plain and Sophie knew she had reached him. Suddenly Sophie experienced a strange feeling of weightlessness and felt as though she was sinking. The world swam before her face and turned at once very bright and then very dark.

"Sophie!" Howl's distraught face was the first thing she saw when her vision cleared. Her husband had rushed forward and caught her just as she felt faint.

"I'm alright, just light headed," She grumbled petulantly as he swept her up into his arms and carried her to the couch.

"Now look what you did," Calcifer crackled nastily at Howl as the little flame danced along the rim of the fireplace, nervously eyeing the silver haired woman.

"Be nice, Cal. It's not Howl's fault. I haven't been sleeping well and I'm just tired is all."

But Howl held her to him and tucked her head under his chin, kissing her at random intervals. She could feel the contrition emanating from him as she hugged him back.

"I'm so sorry, Sophie. I didn't mean to upset you. I am acting like a child," the raven-haired wizard murmured softly.

"And a brute and a selfish brat!" Calcifer crackled, unperturbed by the frown Sophie flashed at him.

"You're right and I know it," Howl continued moodily, ignoring Calcifer, "It's just that the Council frightens me. They all expect so much and give nothing back."

"You won't be going alone, Howl. I'll be with you and so will your brother."

The raven-haired wizard gazed down at her with a dubious frown.

"I'm going with you," Sophie repeated firmly and gave her husband her best version of Martha's look of stone.

"And so am I," crackled Calcifer with a large plume of smoke.

"We're going to give Barimus our support and to scare the silly witches and wizards on the council into behaving. You never know, we might even have some fun."

The mischievous grin that crept onto Sophie's face was infectious and Howl couldn't help but smile. He leaned down and kissed her tenderly, cuddling her into him and all was right once more. They remained like that for a moment until the tiny life within her gave her side a vicious kick. She winced and Howl frowned.

"Even I felt that," he marveled then laughed in his carefree way, his liquid eyes full of love.

"I've been thinking about names recently," Howl continued on to another subject in his capricious way.

"Mmmm," Sophie replied, finally warm and sleepy for the first time that morning.

"What do you think of Akarshan?"

"It's beautiful… What does it mean?"

"Bringer of light; it was my father's name."

xXx

"I feel like a fool," Sophie grumbled in irritation as she looked down at her dress.

The thick brocaded silk was the exact color of her hair. It showed like starlight and was embellished with a pattern of gold threads that glimmered like hundreds of tiny stars. It was a prudent dress with a high neckline trimmed in delicate lace, but its opulence was in the fabric. A gold sash encircled her waist above her swelling stomach, making her feel all the more pregnant. It was a dress fit for a queen, but it made the silver haired witch feel like a clown.

"Hold still," Martha grumble in equal irritation as she pinned up her sister's hair in a series of graceful swirls.

"I think you look beautiful, Sophie," Markl stared at her in wonder over the forgotten book he had been reading.

"Oh, what a lovely woman," Granny Witch murmured over a stocking she was knitting. Thanks to her needles and yarn the family's feet had been very warm that winter.

"Thank you, Markl."

"I'll keep you warm, Sophie," Calcifer piped as he gyrated in the fireplace, keeping his distance from Martha.

Sophie tried to turn to thank him, but Martha clamped her hands over her ears and steered her head back straight. Her sister let out grumpy sigh and busied for a few more moments then released her. Another woman would have gone in search of a mirror, but the silver haired witch still retained an aversion to looking glasses.

Overhead she heard the bathroom door open and the brisk steps of her husband as he emerged. Howl flew downstairs in a dazzling glamour of good looks and smelling strongly of roses. He was wearing the sapphire and silver tunic she had made him for their wedding and the sight cheered her. Draped across his shoulders was one of his large cream colored coats, this one pattered with blue triangles. At his ears were the emerald jewels and around his neck was the matching pendent. He stopped at the foot of the stairs, his gaze riveted to Sophie

"Sophie, you look amazing!

"You look very handsome yourself," she replied with a smile, then gazed down at her dress moodily, "But I'm going to freeze to death walking in this flimsy thing."

"Barimus sent a car," Martha replied shortly as she coiled her long black hair around her head into a crown, pinning it in place with silver. Like always she was wearing a green. A knock sounded at the front door and Calcifer flared up and piped, "Kingsbury door!"

The family exchanged looks as the herbalist collected her grey coat from the wall peg and went outside. Calcifer was about to jump onto the wick of the tin lamp Sophie took from the wall when Howl caught the little flame in his hands.

"I'm afraid you can't come with us, Cal," Howl spoke sadly as he sat the little flame back onto the log in the hearth. The fire daemon dwindled small and green with surprise and hurt.

"I'm sorry, but the Wizard's Council feels very strongly about daemons. I personally think they're a bunch of idiots, but for Barimus' sake I don't want to upset them."

"Bah, I didn't want to go. It's too wet outside anyway," He crackled red and orange sulkily as he hunkered down into the ashes.

"Oh, what a pretty fire," Granny Witch murmured and Calcifer seemed to cheer again.

"Don't worry, Cal. I can't go either so I'll keep you company," Markl smiled as he dragged his book over to the couch.

"You're master of the castle until we get home, Markl. Don't forget your lessons," Howl laughed and tussled his apprentice's hair as he passed by.

The blond little boy had taken the news of the new life on the way with very good humor. He actually seemed excited about having a little brother to play with. He still got possessive of Sophie from time to time; but there nothing wrong with a little boy loving his mother.

"Bye Master Howl! Bye Sophie!" The apprentice called as Howl held open his coat to Sophie, who fitted herself under the crook of his arm. Together they disappeared out the door into the streets of Kingsbury, where a rumbling wheeled contraption waited to take them to the Palace.

xXx

"Next time I will walk," muttered Sophie peevishly as she and Howl climbed the snow covered stairs into the main entrance of the palace. The car has jostled and jumbled her around so much that she could hardly stand once they arrive.

"I really do hate this place," she continued to mutter under her breath.

Martha ushered them through a series of winding rooms filled with decadent furniture and sumptuous rugs. They all looked the same to Sophie, and once again she was completely lost. Once again the servants fled before them and the silver haired witch frowned. People shouldn't be afraid of them and it bothered her that the servants regarded them with such terror.

She had brought Suliman's stick with her, although she insisted that Howl carry it. The raven-haired sorcerer complied reluctantly, as though he hated to touch the thing.

"Why do I have to carry it?" He grumbled petulantly.

"Because you need to make an impression on the Council. They feared and respected Suliman and seeing you carry it will make them more likely to listen to you."

Howl didn't appear convinced but took it anyway. They stopped in a large antechamber and Martha spun on her heel to inspect both of them with a critical eye. Apparently they were up to snuff because the silent herbalist nodded with a satisfied look on her face. She went to the door and cast a look over her shoulder that told them to wait. With that she disappeared into the chamber beyond. As they stood in their finery, Sophie began to fidget with her wedding ring.

"Don't fiddle, Sophie," Howl scolded her absently as he tugged at one of his earrings while staring up at the chandelier.

"Kettle calling the pot black," she smirked up at him and followed his gaze to the chandelier.

"Is that the one Suliman left you hanging from by your britches?" Sophie mused wryly and giggled as her husband flinched.

"Your too witchy for you own good sometimes, wife," Howl sniffed daintily and smoothed his hair.

The doors before them swung open suddenly, giving Sophie a fright, revealing the huge chamber in front of them. The gigantic room was domed with glass and gold buttressing like the greenhouse. High overhead eddies of snow gathered and blew by on the glass. A great chandelier of gold and crystal hung like fiery pendulum from the ribbed ceiling, shedding warmth and light into the round room. Arena seats of purple velvet and burnished red wood vaulted up from the polished marble floor. Gilded circular mirrors hung high on the walls above the seating, reflected the light from the burning pendulum.

A group of about fifty witches and wizards dressed in a rainbow of colored finery sat strew throughout the seats. Most were young and bespangled like dandies; although the older more prudent members dressed in subdued tones. Sophie easily picked out Barimus in his customary flame colored hues. The lanky red wizard stood on a small balcony that bridged the two wings of the seating. Behind him stood Martha, looking for the entire world like a living statue.

"Councilors," Barimus boomed in his warm tenor that rang like a golden bell, "I present to you Wizard Howl, son of the Wallmakers and his wife, Sorceress Sophie, witch of the silver flame!"

"Smile and look haughty, dear heart. We have an audience," Howl spoke gleefully without moving his lips.

Her husband burst into a radiant display of handsome smiling seeing that they were being watched intently by the entire Council. Howl swept her forward on his arm into what Sophie would later describe later as the belly of the beast.


	2. Chapter 2: Labyrinth of Intrigues

**Children of the Stars: Part II of the Wallmaker saga**

**Chapter 2: Labyrinth of Intrigues**

Sophie was very aware of all the eyes upon her and did her best to appear unaffected. She felt exposed and vulnerable before so many strangers. Howl again was blossoming under pressure and Sophie wondered at his dual nature. He was at once terrified of the council and yet seemed to enjoy its attention. Her husband made a big show of walking grandly, Suliman's staff echoing loudly in the silence that greeted them. She decided having Howl carry the late Royal Witch's staff was a good idea after all. Many of the witches and wizards in the room stood to attention at the sight of the twisted wood stick.

After they had reached the dais below the balcony Barimus stood on, Howl bowed with a flourish and Sophie curtsied as gracefully as she could manage. There was a great deal of twittering in the council about that as the witch and wizard climbed the stairs to stand by Barimus. Howl place a hand on his brother's shoulder and they smiled at one another genuinely.

Turning, Barimus addressed the Council.

"Councilors, great witches and wizards from far and near, I come before you today in hopes that we may bring together the circle of our voices and once more be whole as a council of magic. Once more, as Royal Wizard of Ingary and Council Leader, I seek your cooperation and your support as leaders and supporters of this Alliance. We are faced with dire circumstances and we must act as a whole."

"Tell me, wizard Barimus," a tall witch with skin as dark as night spoke in an iron voice, "How is it that the Royal Sorcerer does not hold the staff of the late Witch Suliman? According to her will, perhaps it is not you who should rightfully be seeking our cooperation."

"Here it comes," Howl spoke bitterly for only Sophie's ears without moving his lips. The room filled to the rafters with the bickering voices of witches and wizards.

Some cheered the woman's comment other jeered and most rolled their eyes and shook their heads, tired to no end of the argument. Sophie blinked in consternation as she gazed out over the Council. She had not expected such childish behavior from the wizarding community that was responsible for advising the leaders of the Alliance.

"Are they always like this, Martha?" Sophie whispered to her sister, who nodded with a frown.

Suddenly, Howl slammed the butt of Suliman's stick on the marble floor and the sound, which reverberated like a thunderclap, silenced the room. Shock and surprise showed clearly on the faces of the councilors as they stared at the raven-haired wizard.

"Councilor's please," Howl spoke gregariously, "Actions and intentions should define a leader, not conventions. But if you feel so strongly about tradition then I must oblige."

Turning, the raven-haired wizard handed Barimus Suliman's staff.

Sophie had long since figured out that the staff had made it clear that she was intended to wield it. Anyone else who held it would have their skin crawl. The silver haired witch knew for a fact that the stick would accompany her home that night, no matter who it was handed to during the day.

The red wizard seemed surprised and hesitantly took their late master's staff, trying not to let the trepidation that he felt show plainly on his features. There was a great deal of twittering over the transfer of the rod, which was a symbolic act not missed by anyone.

An ancient looking man stood with difficulty. Almost all the color seemed to have faded from him, like an old painting too long exposed to the sun. The hair on his head seemed to have fled his pate, migrating south to form a long white beard that devoured his face, save for the brilliant blue of his eyes. His grey robes were wrinkled and stained with tea and speckled with crumbs. In spite of his disheveled appearance, a reverent silence fell as the old wizard gazed up at Howl.

"My name is Tirut, son of the Wallmakers. I knew your parent's well," the old man spoke in a voice that whispered like tobacco smoke, "I speak for many here when I express my consternation over your absence. I must ask: why have you forsaken your inheritance and abandoned this council?"

Howl smiled at the wrinkled wizard, his liquid blue eyes full of memories as he nodded to the man with respect.

"I remember you and your beard, Elder Tirut. I apologize for not coming before the Council sooner to shed light on the dark events that have come and passed.

Casting his eyes over the chamber, Howl placed his hands on the edge of the banister and leaned forward dramatically.

"No doubt you have heard many rumors about me, most of which I assure you are completely true. I am a capricious wizard; it is in both my nature as a man and in the way of my magic. For that I must blame my closeness to the otherworld. However, believe me when I say I do not forsake my duty as the last son of the Wallmakers, who strove only to protect and preserve the balance of magic."

Howl paused here for a moment, withdrawing for a mere second before plunging forward again. Sophie could not help but smile as she watched the raven-haired wizard cast and lead his audience like an experienced fisherman. Her husband would have made an excellent courtier had he been born with magical gifts and a strong aversion to politics. His mellow tenor swelled as she was drawn back into his address.

"As the last Wallmaker, it is essential that I be unfettered by titles or positions so that I may act immediately when the balance of magic is threatened. Furthermore, because of the unpredictable nature of my duty to protect the Dull Wall, I fear I would provide poor leadership for the kingdom of Ingary and this Council.

"But fear not; you are in luck, good Councilors!" Howl half shouted as his handsome face glowed with delight.

Scanning the faces of the Councilors, the silver haired witch realized that Howl had charmed them into the palm of his hand. The aforementioned palm swept to his side in a grand gesture as the raven-haired wizard presented his apprentice brother. Some of the Councilors stared at the red wizard with interest as though they had never before really taken notice of him. Sophie was sure she heard Martha snort.

"The Wizard Barimus has already proved himself in the past events to be an ideal Council Leader. As a fully trained wizard who has graduated from the Ingarian Royal Academy of Magic, he is far more suited than I for the position of Royal Wizard. Additionally, with Barimus as Council Head, you will be guided by a leader who is at once aware of the political issues facing the Alliance as well as the concerns of magic that move beyond the indigo veil.

"Wizard Barimus is my brother. As such we are connected; he is both my arm and my voice in times of strife. I ask you Councilors, what more could you ask for in a leader?"

As Howl finished his speech, he took a step back, still gesturing to his brother, deftly placing the red wizard in a place of authority on the balcony. When it became clear the raven-haired wizard had finished, a chorus of cheers and applause erupted from most of the Councilors. However, not all were moved, but their jeers were drowned once again as Elder Tirut raised his hands for silence.

"Well put, wizard Howl. I see the merit behind your decision to defer your inheritance. And so I ask you, Son of the Wallmakers, do you appoint Wizard Barimus stand in your stead?"

"I do," Howl replied without hesitancy, "In this world and the next I name wizard Barimus my heir and defer to him the position of Council Leader."

There was a great deal of murmuring about that, but no yelling and jumping about as before.

"What of the bloodline?" Called a thin bald wizard dressed in magenta silk, who had been scowling through Howl's speech.

"If we agree to accept you as Leader of Council, Wizard Barimus, will you accept the duty to produce an heir who will in turn lead the council in ages to come?"

"I accept," Barimus replied again without hesitation.

"What say you, Lady Martha?" Elder Tirut asked the dark haired woman tremulously. The herbalist seemed taken a back, a troubled expression passing over her face. In that moment Sophie felt a thrill of premonition, and knew that all was not well.

"I accept," Martha replied in a strong voice.

"It is done then!" Elder Tirut spoke with finality and sat down, settled into his chair like a pile of rustling linen sheets.

"I must speak!" Called another of the elder councilors.

This time an old witch stood with the help of her inane apprentice. There was a cloth bound over the old woman's eyes, whether for dramatic effect or true affliction Sophie could not tell. The woman was clouded in her othersight, as though a mist hung about her. Despite that, the council did not seem to hold her in high regard. There was a great deal of yelling and derisive calls made about the senility of the elder woman.

"I have seen beyond the indigo veil," the woman intoned in an ethereal voice.

"Quiet you old fool!" Someone hooted.

"Let Councilor Raia speak!" Barimus' strong voice cut through the din and the shouts stopped.

"I have seen it," the old woman called as though she though the rest of the Councilors could not hear her, "The doom of the mortal world lies with the children of the Wallmakers. Heed me! By their hand the Dull Wall was made and by their hand that it will be broken once again."

"The Wall has broken again!" Someone cried in panic and the council was plunged once more into chaos.

"What of the Wallbreaker!"

"Has he returned?"

"Enough!"

Howl's voice boomed like a thunderclap, drowning the pandemonium in the chamber. Anger flashed like lightening in his eyes, which darkened under the storm clouds that filled his voice

"It is inappropriate to speak ill of the dead before The Council. Wizard Agyrus may have fallen before the daemon of his own sorrow, but he was a good man. His magic was consumed by the Core of the Dark in the otherworld. It tried to use him as a portal to reach this realm, but to no avail. Fear not, for the Dull Wall has been made whole once more."

"But, what of the Dark?" Someone called fearfully in a petulant voice. Sophie could tell that her husband was beginning to reach the limit of his patience with the council.

"The Dark is subdued, but not gone," Sophie's clear voice rang like a silver bell, silencing the crowd who was already curious about her. She continued in spite of her shyness.

"Councilors, you are the guardians of the mortal realm as well as the gateways between the worlds. We are very near to the otherworld and our actions and emotions have powerful ramifications in the beyond. Be vigilant of fear, anger, and sorrow and remember that our quarrelling weakens the Dull Wall. The daemons in the Dark draw strength from our division and will seek passage into our souls through these weaknesses. This is something we cannot allow.

"Be strong, Councilors! You have a responsibility as the keepers of magic to lead and give aid to those in need. That is the purpose of this Council, is it not? The Dull Wall is no longer threatened but now the Alliance needs your help. Early winter has crippled the food stores in Tyrn. Ingary and Marda are not strong enough to bolster the losses of an entire country. Thousands will suffer and starve if we do not act!

"I ask you to put aside your arguments and rise to the charge that Royal Wizard Barimus has brought you here to discuss. As both a wife and mother, and not a witch, I implore your cooperation."

This seemed to give the councilors pause and many could be seen nodding and talking amongst themselves in agreement. Taking advantage of Sophie's introduction, Barimus launched into a description of the problems faced by the Alliance and began outlining a plan of action. While the red wizard spoke, Martha smiled at her sister approvingly. Howl cast a glance in her direction, his eyes full of pride for his level headed wife.

Perhaps they had been able to do some good after all.

xXx

Sophie sat in some forsaken antechamber in some forsaken corner of the Palace. Glowering at the door, the silver haired witch kicked the chair next to her. Again she reflected on how much she hated the maze of rooms and labyrinth of politics that filled this place. Martha had brought her to this chamber after she begun to tire and the council showed no signs of stopping. She wanted to go home, but had resolved to wait for her husband. Plus, she didn't think she could find her way out even if she tried.

Sophie begun to muse over the promotions she had felt earlier when there was a knock at the door. A woman dressed in white slipped in and the silver witch recognized her as Councilor Raia's apprentice. The ginger haired girl bobbed a curtsy, although her eyes remained blank.

"Mistress wishes to speak with you. Will you come?"

Sophie was about to decline when a fey tingle passed through her mind and curiosity got the better of her. Sophie stood with difficulty and wished she still had Suliman's stick. In spite of the trouble it brought them, the stout piece of wood was a good walking cane.

The girl led her though another twisting network of corridors, vexing Sophie to no end as she followed helplessly. Finally they reached their destination; either that or the vacant woman had lost her way as well. Sophie could see no difference in this doorway than in any other they had passed.

As she entered the room, the silver haired witch stopped dead in her tracks as she caught sight of the gigantic mirrors that hung in the four corners of the chamber. A cold chill crept into her soul as the empty apprentice moved to stand beside her. In the center of the room Councilor Raia sat in a chair like a pile of pallid colored rags. She was swathed from head to toe in a thin white shawl that looked too much like a death shroud.

"Don't be afraid. The mirrors are quite harmless. They help me to see into the beyond," Raia's hoarse voice sounded like dry sticks scratching in the wind.

"All the same I preferred to stand here," Sophie replied doing her best not to be insulting, "You wanted to see me?"

"I am honored that you came, Sorceress of the Silver Flame. You are right in saying we of the Council must be vigilant, but so too must you. I have seen your doom. Shall we speak of it?"

Again Sophie's irritation collected within her over the wizarding community's unnecessary habit of speaking in mysterious riddles.

"I didn't come to play guessing games, Raia. Speak plainly or I shall leave," Sophie shot back, crossing her arms.

"I have no control over what I see, Lady Sophie. I mean you no harm, but I feel bound to warn you out of thanks for the great service you have done the Council by healing the Dull Wall and defeating the Dark."

"The Dark is not defeated, only subdued. Warn me of what?" She replied, growing short.

"There will be no heir born to the red wizard," the old woman spoke ominously and Sophie's heart froze.

"Is that a threat?" She managed to keep her voice even.

"The Wallmaker's children have powerful enemies. I am not the only to have foreseen the end of this world and the part your unborn children will play in its coming."

"I don't have to listen to this rot!" Sophie spat as she turned to go. The vacant woman shot out her hand in a lightning quick movement and held the silver witch back. A sick feeling passed through Sophie as she realized that the apprentice was blind.

"There will be two, sorceress of the silver flame: a daughter and a son! They began life in the magic of the otherworld and as such their doom is inexorably linked to the beyond." Raia continued relentlessly, her dry voice almost a screech, "One will be the bringer of light and the other the bearer of the ultimate sorrow. Under their hands the Dull Wall will crumble and all will be lost!"

"Let me go," the silver witch grated fiercely between her teeth and she managed to wrench her arm from the empty woman's iron grip. The door to the chamber nearly tore from its hinges as Sophie fled the room, Raia's mad laughter chasing on her heels like a cold wind.

xXx

"Ooph!" Sophie winced as the child within her kicked restlessly.

"He giving you grief again, dear heart?" Howl murmured into her hair as he sat down the book he had been reading.

The warm sun beamed brightly in the clear spring sky overhead, drenching the little garden in a warm glow. Birds sang and swooped in the sky as they clambered to sit in the flying castle's trees. The witch and wizard Howl were reclining on a pile of pillows on the veranda, enjoying a lazy afternoon of peace. The silver witch rubbed her enormous belly and made a moue as the child within kicked again. She sighed and settled back onto her husband, who had graciously taken it upon himself to be he personal pillow, keeping her company as he studied.

"I can already tell that he's inherited your impatience," she grinned as her husband gently rested his hand on her stomach and chuckled. His eyes were dark with love as he gazed down at Sophie.

"He can't wait to come out, our little Askershan."

"Mrs. Fairfax says one more month," she replied sleepily.

The silver haired witch wiggled and settled once again as he husband went back to reading. She wasn't sure, but for some reason her mind wandered back to their confrontation with the Wizard's Council. Apparently they had made an impression, because the witches and wizards gave Barimus their full support from then on. Working together the Council mediated the distribution of grain throughout the hard winter and mass starvation had been avoided.

Sophie was very proud of her brother-in-law, although she wished he would spend more time with Martha. His new position consumed most of his time, leaving the young herbalist alone. Not that she was idle, for the hedge witch had made quite a name for herself in the capitol. She ran her own herb shop and also saw patients as a healer. However, the silent woman came to visit more frequently than Mrs. Fairfax, who had appointed herself Sophie's midwife.

The silver witch frowned as the memory of the vacant apprentice's clouded eyes flitted through her mind. She dashed the thought from her with an awkward stretch. Sophie had not told Howl about what Councilor Raia said to her, the old woman was obviously crazy. She had not wanted to stir a fuss after gaining the confidence and cooperation of the Wizard's Council.

"I need to get up," Sophie muttered irritably as she wiggled her toes. Her feet plagued her constantly, either swelling to the size of loaves of bread, aching with cold or falling fast asleep. That afflictions combined with her constant trips back and forth to the bathroom left her uncharacteristically peevish.

Howl stood and helped her gain her feet then flopped back down on the pillows. As she waddled away, the silver haired witch cast a glance at her husband and smiled, watching him bury his nose in the book. An intense look consumed his features as his eyes moved furiously across the print, devouring the pages. Inside Granny Witch sat before the fire, her fingers flying furiously as her knitting needles produced tiny booties and hats industriously. Heen lifted his head from the old woman's feet and watched Sophie with large eyes, wagging his tail gently.

She turned to regard her husband's apprentice, who was engrossed in study with the same single-mindedness as his master. The little boy had once again begun to grow exponentially, and she inspected the large amount of wrist and ankle that showed at his cuffs and hem. Time for some new clothes, and a haircut too.

"It's beautiful outside, Markl. Don't you want to go outside and play in the village?" She asked as she reached out and tussled his hair in passing.

"Studying," was his mumbled reply as he absently smoothed his unruly curls. Sophie paused and gazed at her adopted son with pride. She kissed him on the top of his head and was about to go upstairs for a nap when there was a knock at the front door.

"Kingsbury door!" Calcifer piped from the fireplace. Sophie waved Markl back into his seat as she shuffled past, her other hand cushioning the small of her back as she tottered down the steps. Sweeping the door open with an irritated grumble, the messenger at the door winced and shrank under her moody stare as he held out the crimson envelope. Sophie snatched it up and slammed the door, turning to almost run smack into her husband.

"Howl! Don't sneak up on me," she snapped grumpily as she thrust the letter into Howl's hands and clambered up the stairs to sit on the couch. She propped her feet up in front of Calcifer, who cracked a bit larger for the sake of Sophie's frozen toes. Howl slowed as he climbed the stairs and paused on the landing, quickly reading red the letter.

"It's from Barimus. He says he needs me to come to the palace right away."

"Mmmm!" Sophie replied, hunkering down into the cushions as Howl pulled on the great-sleeved cream coat he favored.

"Want anything while I'm out, Sophie?" Howl called as he hovered in the doorway.

"Chocolate! And pickles!" She called as she wiggled her toes in front of the fire, knowing Howl had gone when the door clicked shut. Sophie wasn't sure how long she had been dozing, but the furious knock at the front door jarred her from her sleep.

"Kingsbury door!" Cal crackled as he rolled over in the ashes. Again and again the knock came with persistent force that culminated in a heavy pounding, sending the silver witch into an irrational fury.

"Markl, get the door and turn whoever is there into a toad!" She snapped peevishly and the blond apprentice hopped up and skipped down the steps.

"Is Sorceress Sophie at home!" An urgent female voice cried in breathless desperation. The silver haired woman recognized Martha's shop assistant Theresa, a red-headed and be-freckled tomboy who was inseparable from the stony herbalist.

"Theresa? What is it?" Sophie frowned in consternation as a cold feeling crept into her heart. Hobbling to her feet she looked down the stairs to where the white faced little girl trembled on the brink of tears.

"Come quick, Mrs. Howl! Lady Martha is mighty sick, them royal healers say she might die!"

xXx

Normally, Sophie was morally opposed to using magic for frivolous things like daily chores and transportation. But she and Markl appeared on the top step of the Palace in a poof of smoke. Markl had cobbled together a powerful transportation spell at the behest of his foster mother. They gave the guards a great fright, but the soldiers buckled before the pregnant silver witch as she thundered through the palace in a nimbus of steel fire, Suliman's staff cracking against the marble floor like a hammer.

She found her way to Martha's suite within minutes and the sea of royal healers parted before her.

"She's had a miscarriage and is hemorrhaging severely," the most level headed of the healers spoke. The tall woman was thin and her regal face was heavily lined. She had a head of short salt and pepper hair and her green eyes were cold. She did not flinch before the silver witch's magic, unlike the rest of the healers who cringed in terror.

"Where is Mrs. Fairfax?"

"We haven't been able to reach her. An apprentice has been sent to fetch her immediately."

"Why aren't you in there with her," Sophie thundered.

The green eyed healer regarded her evenly as she reached out and opened the door. A thin green mist filtered out along the floor; Sophie's skin crawled as she stepped back from the wickedness in the fog. Casting her eyes into the Royal Wizard's apartment her othersight showed the room was thick with black magic.

"Sophie!" Markl cried and he gathered handfuls of his foster mother's skirts, pulling her back from the creeping evil.

"Set wards on the door, Markl, and don't let anyone come in here. Send someone to find Howl and Barimus at once," Sophie spoke softly, "There's a dark curse in this room."

xXx

As the silver witch stepped forward the sick green mists flew back into the chamber. She entered carefully and shut the door behind her firmly. To a normal person the room would have appeared normal, but in Sophie's othersight the air was clouded with a purple red fog and she could barely see. The veil parted before her as the mists on the ground retreated from Suliman's stick. Her senses on fire, she managed to reach the bedroom, and her ears caught the soft cryof pain from within.

Reaching out, Sophie pushed the door open. She took in the room with a single glance and tried not to retch on the suffocating suffering that diffused from within. She tried not to see the blood on the sheets or go mad with agony for her sister. Martha's face was made all the more ghostly white by her thick black hair that plastered to her clammy skin. As the silver witch stepped forward into the chamber she noted that the dark mists were thickest here.

She cast her eyes about for the source of the curse, trying to stay focused as Martha let out a heartbreaking mewling noise and writhed in agony.

"Sophie?" The herbalist managed to whisper, her eyes bright and fevered as she caught sight of her eldest sister.

"I'm here," She reached the side of the bed and clasped her sister's outstretched hand. A shooting pain went through Sophie's side as she laced her fingers between Martha's and refused to let go. Her sister gasped and screamed as the silver witch caught sight of movement from the corner of the room.

There, surrounded with dark fire like the gate to hell itself stood a large oval mirror. The red lights of the scorched plain loomed large and showed bright as the sun beyond the thin glass. Upon its surface someone had carved a series of malevolent symbols. Viscous red waves lapped at the base of the mirror like blood, sending chills of dread through Sophie's soul.

_Ours_… A familiar metallic voice leered in her mind.

"You cannot have her!" The silver witch shrieked madly and slammed Suliman's staff onto the ground. The marble beneath her feet cracked under the shock of the magic she unleashed. The mirror shattered into a thousand pieces and the mists faded to ash as another pain seized Sophie deep from within her. The world swam before her eyes as she grew weak and blacked out.

xXx

Markl stood at the hallway of the Palace's infirmary, where the fleet of healers had rushed Sophie and Martha. They took his mother into one room and his aunt into another.

The pale little apprentice was still white with fright from the sight of red on both women. Mrs. Fairfax had appeared shortly after with Aunt Lettie and Mrs. Hatter in tow. Pressing himself against the wall, he willed himself invisible and listened to the voices behind the door.

From beyond where Sophie had been ushered he heard his mother screaming at Mrs. Fairfax that she should go take care of Martha. The plump herbalist burst from the room and plunged into the other without a second glance back. The tall grim healer Markl recognized from earlier emerged shortly after. The sight of her gave the apprentice a chill, perhaps it was the cold look in her eyes. She did not notice him as she slowly walked across the corridor into his mother's room.

Markl wasn't sure how long he stood there. He came back to his senses as Calcifer flared and hovered in front of his face.

"Here he is!" The flame crackled loudly.

The little blond boy snapped his head up as Howl fell to his knees in front of him. His master's face was twisted with grief and relief as he grabbed a hold of his apprentice and stared at him. Wordlessly the raven-haired man crushed the little boy to him in a fierce embrace as he swept the boy up into his arms. Markl clung to his foster father and sobbed till he was spent.

During his hysterics, Howl carried him into some kind of waiting room. Markl looked up as his father collapsed into a chair. The little boy caught sight of Barimus pacing wildly, his eyes mad with fire and worry. They were there for quite some time. Calcifer dwindled to a tiny point of light in the chandelier overhead. He flared as a troop of witches and wizards marched in with grim faces. Barimus shot to his feet and they began a heated exchange.

"We followed the trail of magic to the waterfront. Our man was just leaving. Inside we found many forged letters on your stolen stationary," A red haired witch spoke ominously.

Apparently the group had found the culprit they were seeking. One of the wizards, a thin man dressed in black with a long cruel scar that crossed the right side of his face grinned darkly.

"We also found all the components for the killing curse. But don't worry; we dealt with the traitor accordingly. But we kept his soul for you to question. If you like you can see the body as well," he pronounced nastily.

Barimus nodded curtly and spoke brief words of thanks, his face a brilliant with rage. The group left and the red wizard shot a look at Howl deep with implied meaning. Barimus returned to pacing and the raven-haired wizard watched him, wordlessly holding his apprentice. Markl had almost fallen asleep when Mrs. Fairfax and Lettie came into the room. Calcifer flared up blue and green as Howl and Barimus shot to their feet, staring wordlessly at the two women.

Just before Howl put him down, Markl saw over the top of Mrs. Fairfax's head and caught sight of the tall grey woman that had chilled him earlier. She was walking slowly down the corridor with a small cloth wrapped bundle. Markl could have sworn he heard a baby's softy cry just as the woman turned the corner and disappeared out of sight.

"Martha and Sophie are doing fine," Mrs. Fairfax announced to their absolutely relief, but her normal jubilance was missing. Barimus collapsed into the chair that was just behind him, almost missing it by an inch, and sank his face into his hands. Lettie went over and patted him on his shoulder making gentle noises.

"My son?" Howl's voice was a bare whisper as he stared blankly at Mrs. Fairfax. The plump motherly woman hurried over and took hold of the wizard's hands, guiding him back to a seat.

"Sophie gave birth to twins, Howl. A boy and a girl," Mrs. Fairfax explained quickly, "The boy is big and healthy and has a thick shock of black hair."

"And my daughter?"

"She was very small; they were a month early, you see. Sophie took the brunt of the curse when she smashed the spell. She saved Martha's life."

"My daughter!" The raven haired man demanded and the old herbalist seemed at a loss for words.

"I'm so sorry, Howl."

Markl watched as his master crumbled inward, his face hidden beneath his bangs. Going forward, the little blond boy reached out and took Howl's hand. Calcifer sank wordless to hover at his friend's shoulder. Howl squeezed his apprentices palm and then stood quickly. A rigid smile lightened his features into a handsome mask; although his eyes were dark and trembling with the riot of emotions within him.

"If you please, Mrs. Fairfax, I would like to see my wife and son."


	3. Chapter 3: The Other Son

**Children of the Stars: Part II of the Wallmaker saga**

**Chapter 3: The Other Son**

_Six years later…_

Thunder boomed outside the castle and rain pattered against the window pane. Markl gazed up at the gables overhead, watching the many wind chimes and mobiles spin and turn in the grey morning light. Lightning flashed again, sending a thrill of fear through his heart. However, he did not get up and run down the hallway to stand outside his master's bedroom, hoping that his mother would peek out to check on him.

As another crash of thunder shook the castle, the ginger-haired apprentice could hear the door next to his open and close as tiny feet pattered to stand in front of his room. There was a tiny knock as a small boy with thick black hair squeezed into the room and crept to stand by his bed.

"Brother? Are you awake?" Akarshan peeped in a frightened voice.

"It's only thunder, Shan. It can't hurt you." Mark grumbled mildly as he peeked open an eyes and tried not to be annoyed with his little brother.

"Can I stay with you until mommy wakes up?"

"Shan, it's really early," Markl groaned sleepily, "Why don't you go bother Granny? Sophie's probably up already, did you check?"

"Mommy's crying; she had the bad dream again. I don't want to make her sad," his brother regarded him with large blue eyes soberly and Markl stared at him for a moment.

Another crash of thunder shook the castle. The little boy jumped three feet and did a nervous dance. The sandy haired apprentice rolled over in his bed, letting his younger brother climb in next to him.

Markl was about to celebrated his 13th birthday.

It was a big event for an apprentice because it would mark his first trip into the otherworld and usher him through his first steps into real wizardhood. He was so excited he could have spit! Over the last few days the aunts descended on the castle to help Sophie with the plans for the party, sending poor Calcifer up the flue in terror. They had planned a big party for the family.

Howl had insisted that it be a grand affair, with fireworks of all sizes and colors. His master knew that Markl loved fireworks, and it made him warm in his heart to know that his foster father cared for him. They could have had a single layer cake with no candles and frosting and Markl would have been ecstatic as long as he knew Howl was proud of him.

Markl felt Akershan, or Shan as the family called him for short, cuddle up into the small of his back and pull the covers over his head. Another flash of lightening brightened his room. His younger brother had celebrated his sixth birthday not more than a couple of weeks ago. He was still finding blue streamers and little star decorations on the exterior of the Castle as he practiced his flying.

Markl turned his thoughts to his mother again. Although she tried her best to keep it a secret, Sophie was always melancholy around Akarshan's birthday. He knew it was because of the little sister that he had never known. They didn't talk about what happened six years ago, but the blond apprentice remembered vividly and was sure that so too did his mother. The silver witch dreamed strongly as of recent, probably of her lost child. Markl would often find her sitting in front of Calcifer with red rimmed eyes early in the morning.

"You want to come to the village with me today, Shan?"

Markl asked all of a sudden. His little brother threw back the covers and regarded him with wide excited eyes.

"Really? Can we go by Cesari's and ask for cakes from Auntie Lettie?"

"You'll get your fill of cake tomorrow! You're going to rot your teeth with all those sweats, Shan," his big brother replied. He grinned and began to tickle the little boy mercilessly.

Markl had been jealous of Akarshan at first; both Howl and Sophie were extremely protective of him. His master spoiled his son rotten with toys and treats; the two were almost carbon copies of one another in both looks and manners. Sophie doted like any mother would, but took a more level headed approach to childrearing.

However, the witch and wizard did not ignore or exclude Markl as he had feared. If anything his silver haired mother grew more attached to him and spent more time fussing over his hair and the state of his clothes. At times it was infuriating and Markl wanted to object to her constant mothering; but he was uncharacteristically perceptive for a boy of his age. He understood her need to be busy. Between she and Granny witch the family was well clothed and socked.

However, Sophie was not shackled by her domestic role as the mother of the castle. She was a tremendously powerful sorceress, and people from all over the country sought the help of his parents for breaking curses, casting magic and general enchantment counseling. Theirs was a booming business, but one by appointment only. One time a haughty courtier had tried to force his way into the castle. Sophie, in an uncharacteristic fit of rage, had turned him completely yellow from head to toe and expelled him from their shop with a boot to his rear. Customers now came with timid reverence. Markl and Sophie took care of the majority of business; Howl often spent much of his time between worlds guarding the balance.

His master had always been friendly, but Howl showed his strong affection for his apprentice by taking his education very seriously. Uncle Barimus often came by to work with him as well. Between his master and the red wizard, Markl knew more about magic than almost all of the snooty wizard's apprentices at the royal academy.

Markl heard their parent's door open and shut with a click and listened to the light steps of his mother as she descended the stairs.

"Mommy's up!" Shan cried with delight as the two forgot their previous tickling match. The little boy leaped from the bed, storm forgotten and Markl heaved a weary sigh as loud feet pounded through the castle. There was no use trying to sleep anymore, and the sandy-haired apprentice envied his master, who could sleep through anything.

Grumbling, Markl rolled out of bed and got dressed. As he came down the stairs into the kitchen, he paused at the landing to watch his family. No matter how many moves they went through, the kitchen of the flying castle stayed relatively the same. Calcifer smoked cheerily in the fireplace as his mother fried bacon and eggs in a large skillet. Markl thought his mother was the most beautiful woman in the world; even prettier than Aunt Lettie. Even more beautifully than the freckled girl with the curly red hair that helped Aunt Martha with her herbalist shop.

He watched Sophie straightened and smile as she caught sight of him. She had grown her hair long again and it fell down her back in a tight braid.

"Good morning," Cal piped from under the pan.

"Here's the birthday boy!" His mother beamed, looking like nothing was wrong. But Markl could see the dark circles under her eyes.

"My birthday isn't till tomorrow, Sophie," Markl replied as he came forward. Over the past few years the ginger haired boy had grown exponentially. That made him bigger than Sophie by a few inches and he had to lean over to down to kiss his mother on the cheek. In spite of his growth spurt, the young boy still had to look up at his master. Howl had always been lanky, but if Markl kept up his current rate, it looked like the wizard and his apprentice would be able to see eye to eye.

"What's for breakfast?" He asked absently.

"Bacon, eggs, and pancakes. Would you like something else?"

"Nope, I like bacon," Markl replied as he retreated. He grinned suddenly and teased Shan by scooting him with his hip along the bench that had long since replaced the kitchen table's chairs. The little boy giggled and did his best to fight back by clinging to the seat, but size won over determination this time.

"The aunts will be here today to help with the party preparations about noon," Sophie informed him as she cracked eggs into the pancake batter.

"Is uncle Barimus coming too?" Shan asked in excitement and almost bounced in place.

"Not today, no," Sophie replied as she poured the batter into the bacon grease, "The council is dealing with a series of magic construction projects today. But he will be here tomorrow."

"Sophie, I was going to go by the bookseller's shop in Market Chipping today. Can I bring Shan?"

Sophie paused, a worried look tightening her features. The silver witch was very hesitant about letting her young son go out without her. She had only taken him to Kingsbury once in the six years since his birth.

She flatly refused to let any of them wander alone, much to Markl's chagrin. Mostly because he would have loved to hang about in Martha's shop and attempt to gather enough courage to chat up Theresa. Plus there were far more bookshops in Kingsbury. Sophie and Howl often had gentle words behind closed doors over the fact that his master thought she was sheltering the boys too much. But Howl very rarely contradicted anything his wife asked. For a moment, his mother looked like she was going to say no.

"As long as you keep him with you at all times and if you promise to be home by noon."

"Yay! Visit to the village, visit to the village," Shan sang joyously as he clapped his hands and squirmed with all the energy of a six year old.

"I wish he could tone it down a bit in the morning," Cal popped and sighed under the frying pan.

"Oh, what an energetic little boy," Granny witch murmured as she hobbled from behind her curtain and sat in her rocking chair by the fire.

Heen crept out after her, irritation plain in his sideways stare at the little raven-haired boy. The castle needed no alarm clock since the Shan had learned to speak; morning and breakfast was often heralded by the little boy's voice. Markl was considering regretting his offer when a door overhead opened and Howl came downstairs with light brisk steps.

"Good morning everyone!" He called in his carefree way as he swung over the landing and paused at the foot of the stairs. Like every morning he gazed at them with delight in his eyes and hands on his hips. Unlike Sophie, Howl almost never changed; his long blue black hair fell to his shoulders and he retained his bangs.

"Papa! Shan called in delight and bounded over to tackle the raven haired wizard.

"Fly me, papa! Fly, me," Shan demanded with wide blue eyes as he held up his arms and hopped in place.

"Oof! Good morning to you too, Shan," Howl laughed.

He hoisted the little boy into the air belly down on the palm of his hand. The wizard held out his son as though he weighed nothing and spun him in a circle. Markl felt a surge of hot envy for a moment as he observed the kinship between his little brother and his master. They were same; although, one had managed to shrink in the wash.

"No flying until after breakfast," Sophie commanded with sparkling eyes full of love, "Set the table would you boys?"

Howl and his sons complied, passing out plates and silverware by way of hand and not magic. They knew how much Sophie deplored the use of magic for frivolous things like making breakfast. His master cast a furtive glance at his wife's turned back and made a cross-eyed grin at Markl as he conjured the tea cups from the top shelf with a wiggle of his finger. Shan clamped his hand over his mouth to keep from giggling.

"I saw that," Sophie spoke ominously as she flipped a pancake, her back to the brood. Turning, she began doling out pancakes, eggs, and bacon like an experienced card player. She brought a plate to Granny Witch, who was having difficulty getting around recently. Going to Calcifer, the silver haired woman spooned a full serving of breakfast into the greedy fire's maw. He oinked and mumbled happily as he chewed.

"Big brother and I are going to Chipping Village today!" Shan announced around a mouthful of pancakes as Sophie tucked into the table beside her youngest son.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Akarshan. You're getting syrup all over your shirt," Sophie muttered as she mopped at the little boy's face with her apron.

"I thought the Aunts were coming by today to help decorate for the party," Howl spoke evenly over his tea cup.

"Sophie said it was alright as long as we came home by noon, Master Howl. I finished my book last night and I wanted to see if there was anything new in the village."

"Sophie's word is law in this castle," Howl grinned at his wife, who rolled her eyes, "Would you mind picking up some things from the apocathary for Calcifer's fireworks?"

"Why bother? I'll be dead by the time they get home if that ogress has anything to say about it," Cal snapped and crackled petulantly in the grate. He and Martha did not get along at all.

"Do you need anything from the village, Sophie?" Markl asked as he cleaned his plate and wiped his face on his napkin.

"No, the Aunts are bringing everything I need," she cast an eye at a multicolored mobile of glass and wire that hung over the door. It was the weathervane that Markl had made for his mother for the mid-winter holiday. It spun and chimed under her eyes and a blue-grey piece of glass drooped below the others.

"Both of you take your coats; it might be raining in that part of Ingary."

"I hate rain," Calcifer grumbled as he snapped and popped and squirmed down into the kitchen ashes.

xXx

Market Chipping never changed. It had persevered war, daemons, famine and the worst winter recorded in history. After each tragedy the little town bustled back to life under the industrious hands of its villagers. The Hatter family had rebuilt its storefront after the war and Grandmother Honey still held business there in spite of the fact that she didn't need the money. Howl and Sophie had set up one of the doorways in the courtyard as their portal into the village. It was here that the young apprentice emerged with his little brother in tow.

"Do you think Grandma Honey is home?" Shan asked with such seriousness that Markl had to laugh.

"You know as well as I do that the hat shop isn't open in the mornings. Besides, you'll see her tomorrow, Shan."

Markl led his little brother through the side gate and into the twisting streets of Market Chipping. The little apprentice swelled with pride as rain clouds gathered on the wastes above town. His weathervane had worked like a charm. Villagers bustled and hustled about in the windy spring weather, going about their errands and chores with cheery hellos.

They made their stop at the apocathary's first, and Markl kept a close eye on his brother as the tottering old man handed him a series of wax packets. After their finished their errands, the two boys paused on the fringes of the town square as Markl leaned down to tie Akarshan's shoe.

"You're old enough to do this yourself, Shan," the elder boy grumbled.

"I can't do it! I try, big brother, but it never ties right," the little boy cried defensibly, sniffing dramatically as though he would burst into tears right there.

"Can the waterworks. I'll teach you how when we get home," Markl straightened and ruffled his brother's hair.

They popped into Cesari's for a moment. The pretty dark haired concierge at the front desk recognized them and smiled rosily as she waved them in. Markl turned red as a beet under her curious scrutiny. The two of them skirted the walls of the busy café as waiters weaved about in a grand ballet of silver platters and crystal china while serving fancily dressed customers.

In the kitchen Lettie strode about like a military general, shouting orders and tasting products as she drove her restaurant like a well oiled machine. Tilly, their blonde aunt's eldest daughter, had been displaced from her mother's hip by another tow-headed baby girl who regarded them with wide blue eyes. Their cousin waved at them as they approached, attracting her mother's attention.

"Look, mama, cousins Markl and Shan are here!" She called. The little girl was dressed exactly like her mother in a tiny Cesari's uniform, all pink taffeta and white ruffles.

"Hello boys! Aunt Lettie grinned as she kissed them both. The blond woman had to stand on her tip-toes to reach Markl's cheek.

"My you've grown, Markl. Is Mrs. Fairfax still feeding your magic honey?" She turned her eyes to her eldest sister's youngest child, eyes flashing with humor.

"So, little piglet, you've come to raid my kitchen before the party, have you?"

"Do you have any chocolate éclairs, Auntie?" Shan asked, his eyes bright with greed.

"Brother! You just had breakfast!" Markl cried in dismay but Lettie threw her head back and laughed.

"Tilly, take Shan and go see if your father has any fresh treats, okay? You may have one as well."

"Goodie!" The little girl squealed and grabbed her cousin's hand, dragging him off through the kitchen at breakneck speed. Markl was about to object and insist on following them when Lettie barred his way with a great wooden spoon.

"They'll be fine, Markl. You can stand to let him out of your sight for a moment even if Sophie can't. Now! What kind of cake do you want for your party?"

Markl almost rolled his eyes, beginning to tire of being treated like a little boy, but indulged his aunt none the less. She fed him samples of cake and frosting until he felt like he was going to burst. Finally he settled on a combination of fresh peaches, vanilla icing, and dark chocolate cake.

"Tell your mother when you get home that we'll be a bit late. Martha isn't feeling well today, but she's determined to come."

Lettie's look of exasperation over her sister's obstinacy melted into a sly sideways glance as she regarded the ginger-haired boy.

"Oh, by the way, she'll be bringing that freckled redhead I catch you staring at all the time to the party tomorrow."

Markl turned beet red once more and ducked his head as his Aunt chuckled at him knowingly. Tilly came wandering back, her face and hands covered in chocolate. The sandy-haired apprentice's bashful smiled melted into a frown as he cast his eyes about for his younger brother. Akarshan, however, was no where to be seen.

"Tilly, where's Shan?" He asked the little girl, his deepening voice cracked and sounded foreign to his ears.

"Dunno. He went to play with some other kids in the pastry shop."

"I'm sure he's fine, Markl. Tell me more about Theresa," Lettie smiled, wanting to gossip more with her sister's eldest son. But a cold tickle passed through the young wizard's mind. How long had he been standing here gabbing? How long had Shan been gone? All at once he took off at once in search of his younger brother.

xXx

Shan didn't get to play with kids his own age very often. Tilly was a lot of fun, but she never wanted to do anything really fun, like play in the mud or climb trees. When he suggested that they go play outside with the group of kids they met in the pastry store, she looked at him like he had asked her to swallow a toad.

"I'll get dirty!" She cried and shook her head resolutely.

"Fine! You're no fun anyway," He snapped moodily and chased off after a group of boys his own age as they poured out of the store.

What began as a game of tag became hide-and-go-seek. Giggling gleefully, Shan tore off down an alleyway in search of a good place to hide. The alleyway turned and twisted, splitting into many other back ways and soon the fun of the game began to wear off as the little boy realized he was lost. His fear turned to panic as he called his friend's names desperately, but to no avail. Realizing his plight, Akershan plopped down on the back stairs of a shop and began to cry hopelessly.

"Why are you crying?" A small voice asked from behind him and Shan shot to his feet, turning to see a little girl his own age standing in the doorway. She had short silver hair and blue eyes.

"I'm lost!" He sniffed sullenly and began to cry again.

"Don't worry. I'll help you. If you can come live with me, okay?"

Shan paused in his crying and sniffed again up at the girl. She leaned over and smiled encouragingly at him and the little boy no longer felt sad.

"What's your name?" He asked as he wiped his eyes on his sleeve.

"Deidrie, but Mrs. Danna calls me Drie. What's yours?"

"My name's Akarshan, but mama and papa call me Shan."

Drie sat down on the step next to him and swung her feet as she stared off into the alley.

"Oh… you have a mama and papa already. Then you probably don't need to come and live with me."

"Isn't Mrs. Danna your mother?"

"No," Drie replied sadly, "But she takes care of me. I don't know who my parents are. I lost them a long time ago and Mrs. Danna tells me not to talk about it."

"I lost my big brother, Markl. He and I went to visit my Auntie at Cesari's. She's the cook there and lets me eat chocolate éclairs!"

"Wow, really? Mrs. Danna never lets me have sweets," Drie sent a careful look over her shoulder and she whispered to Shan conspiratorially, "She says that they're a sinful indulgence and she says that greed daemons will eat my soul if I'm not careful."

"That's silly! Papa says that daemons can only get you if you let them."

"Your papa knows about daemons? Wow! Mrs. Dana knows a lot about magic, but she's terrified of daemons," Drie's eyes went large as she peered through her fingers at the raven-haired little boy, who puffed with pride.

"Yup! Papa and my mommy are powerful wizards. So is my big brother. I bet he's looking for me, right now. Mommy will be angry with me and him if I stay lost for too long."

Akarshan stood and looked back the way he came but Drie took hold of the hem of his coat.

"Don't go just yet," Drie cried then shrank shyly, "I'm so lonely, I don't have any friends. We just came here from very far away"

"I'll be your friend, Drie," Shan smiled at her sunnily.

"Really? I've never had a friend before," she beamed up at him as the little boy sat down once more.

"Who is this, Drie?" A cold voice spoke from behind them and both children shot to their feet, staring up at the thin woman who loomed in the doorway.

"Oh! Mrs. Danna, this is my friend. He was lost and I found him crying on the back step," Drie explained timidly under the woman's hard stare.

"I was not crying!" Shan stated resolutely.

Looking up at the thin woman, Shan decided immediately that he did not like Mrs. Danna. He got a squirrelly cold feeling inside that made him fidgety like when he told a lie. The tall woman was dressed in a long green dress; although she was old and had a lot of sad and angry wrinkles, she was still pretty in a way. Her hair was peppered with grey, but not at all like the silver color of his mother's hair. Which he realized at that moment was the same color as Drie's hair.

She would probably be a lot nicer if she smiled, but instead she stared at him in the same way Auntie Martha had when he put a bug in her tea.

"Go inside, child," was her chilly reply and the little girl hesitated for a moment, casting her eyes at Shan before she disappeared through the doorway. Akershan fidgeted under the intense grey of her eyes.

"What is your name, child?"

"Peter," Shan lied, and was glad that he had not told her his name.

"So you've lost your way? Perhaps you should come inside." Her voice was ominous. Her grey eyes flashed brightly sending a chill of fear into Shan as he began backing down the stairs.

"No, I'm not lost. I should be going now." Shan replied quickly as the woman took a step forward. At that same moment Markl came tearing around a corner and caught sight of the black haired little boy.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you." Markl's face was alive with anger as he strode forward and scooped up his brother, "We're going home right this minute, you hear me? Oh!"

Markl caught sight of the woman in the doorway and a look of shocked recognition passed over his face. The tall woman regarded them both stonily as though she were deciding what to do. The young wizard's apprentice took a step backward, consternation plain on his face. Mrs. Danna gave them a veiled look then turned and closed the door behind her.

"Markl!"

Shan cried and was about to rush into a full description of recent events when his older brother clamped a hand over his mouth. Turning, he hurried away with his brother in his arms and did not speak a word until they were standing in the courtyard of the Hatter's shop. Markl drew a circle on the sandy ground and stepped inside, setting his brother down. A fey look brought his brown eyes to life and the mark glowed for a moment.

"Alright, it's safe to talk now; what the devil just happened?"

The little boy told his story truthfully from beginning to end and Shan had never seen Markl so angry.

"Don't talk to anyone about this until I tell you so," His brother shook him to punctuate how strongly he felt, "Promise me you will never go back to that place, Akarshan!"

"You're scaring me, Markl."

"Promise!"

"I promise, big brother," And the sandy haired apprentice hugged his brother roughly, then stood and led him through the portal.

xXx

They got home an hour late and came into the castle to find the kitchen in absolute chaos.

Lettie and Martha were leading red and blue streamers around the living room as Mrs. Fairfax and Grandmother Honey gossiped over the great cake they were icing. Markl noted the green color that crept into the complexion of his youngest aunt and worried for her. She had never fully recovered from the curse that had almost taken her life.

Markl had an uncanny ability to hear everything that was said in the castle, and about a year after Shan was born he overheard Mrs. Fairfax and Sophie late one night. He overheard the old herbalist say that Martha had suffered some scarring that would prevent her from ever having children. Markl knew that this would spell trouble for the Council at a later time. But the witches and wizard respected the red wizard too much to raise any objections now.

Perhaps that was why Uncle Barimus seemed to shy away from the castle, rarely visiting. Akarshan was too vivid a reminder of what he had lost. However, Martha had no such qualms, and loved her little nephew with open affection. The aunts made playful swipes at the children as they scampered around the castle. Markl caught sight of Calcifer peering from the flue for a moment before he disappeared again.

Sophie was too busy with the lists of guest to scold them properly, but the look she shot them belied the fact that their tardy return had not gone unnoticed. Shan immediately went out into the garden to play with Tilly.

Markl caught sight of movement and saw Howl beckoning him from halfway down the stairs. The young wizard skirted the rampaging woman and met up with his master, who surveyed the living room with good-natured humor.

"Shall we accept defeat and plan a humble retreat?" Howl asked playfully, his blue eyes sparkling.

The two went through one of the magic doorways along the upstairs corridor, which would expand at will to expose many additional rooms as needed. The wizard and his apprentice disappeared up a winding circular stair case that led to a workshop framed on all sides by huge windows. The afternoon sun blazed in one side and out the other as the flying castle sailed through the sky, slicing through the fluffy white clouds that filled the heavens as they sailed lazily into the beyond.

The kitchen had once acted as their workshop, but that was before Sophie had become part of their lives. Now, since their family had grown, Howl and his apprentice made good use of the room at the top of the castle. Tables covered in metal contraptions and large bubbling system of tubes and colored liquid gave the shop the feeling of a mad scientist's laboratory.

But magic lived here as much as technology. A powerful enchanted circle was painted onto the floor in the middle of the room; this is where Howl taught Markl more dangerous magic that did not reside lazily in the pages of dusty tomes. Here the young wizard learned to fly and burst into fire through words of power.

"I have a surprise, Markl!" His master beamed at him as he reached into his pocket and held out a small package, "Think of it as an early birthday present. Every wizard should have a good pair of talismans, even if he is still an apprentice."

The ginger haired boy opened the box, exposing the pair of purple earrings that looked very similar to the ones that he had seen almost every witch and wizard wear at one time or another.

"Thank you, master Howl!" Markl quickly clipped them on and felt the thrill of magic within them.

"I had them made in Kingsbury just for you. You're growing up quicker than I had imagined," Howl leaned on a hulking pile of steel as he gazed at his apprentice with hooded eyes from beneath his thick black bangs. He continued after a moment, "Are you excited about your first trip into the otherworld?"

"Yes! But, I'm also a little afraid," Markl fiddled with his earrings as he once again stared out the window, deep in thought.

"Barimus and I will both be with you. There's no need to worry. I made my first trip into the beyond alone and half trained and I survived just fine."

"Master Howl, can I talk to you about something?" Markl spoke up, drawing Howl to attention sharply.

The young wizard told his master about everything that he had seen earlier that day. About the little girl with the silver hair that Akarshan had talked to and the fear his brother felt at the cold woman's presence. Howl listened intently, his face falling into a composed mask he had seen his master wear so many times before when he was upset.

The family never once talked about the girl twin that had passed away in the difficult birth following the banishing of the curse from Martha. Shan had no idea he was a twin or that he had lost a sister. He remembered acutely how much pain his master had felt over the loss of his daughter and still felt today. He hesitated for a moment and then began to describe what he had seen over Mrs. Fairfax's shoulder on that night.

"It was her, the healer with the cold eyes. There's something not right with her, something menacing. I saw her carrying something away that night, I swear it Master Howl! I swear I heard a baby's cry…"

"Enough Markl!" Howl's livid voice cut through his apprentice's heated words. His master's eyes disappeared under his bangs and the great wizard again seemed to crumble inward under the weight of his sorrow. Markl despaired at once for trying to broach the topic.

"I'm sorry, Master Howl. I didn't mean to upset you," he replied in distress.

But Howl had retreated once more behind the handsome mask with the rigid smile. Standing he waved it off, although his eyes were still pinched and his well mannered voice was brittle as he spoke.

"It's quite alright. Forgive me, Markl; I did not mean to snap at you. Thank you for telling me about what you saw, but I would appreciate it if you would remember that we do not dwell on the past in this castle. Also, I must ask you not to talk about this with Sophie. Everything is fine Markl; it's your birthday tomorrow and you should be having a good time."

The tall man paused as he passed his apprentice. Howl turned and placed his hands on the young man's shoulders, smiling genuinely at him.

"You have made me very proud, Markl. No father could ask for more in a son," He spoke in a gentle voice and ruffled his hair before he flew from the room.

Markl stood there for a while. He should have been elated at the close moment he and his master had shared. But for some reason he felt the distance between them all the more keenly. The magic within him railed against his attempts to dismiss what he had seen.

Everything was anything but fine.


	4. Chapter 4: Falling Stars

**Children of the Stars: Part II of the Wallmaker saga**

**Chapter 4: Falling Stars**

The party went off without a hitch. In spite of Howl's plans, the party was more of a family affair. Regardless of size, it was one of the best birthday's Markl ever had.

The aunts showered him in kisses, much to his dismay since Theresa had accompanied Martha to the party as Lettie had promised. The red-haired girl was shy at first, but Sophie chatted with her and the kind woman drew her out of her shell. All of their close family attended, including Mrs. Fairfax and her husband. Tilly, Shan, and Heen chased each other through the castle as they had diner and devoured the cake his blonde aunt had created. Granny Witch laughed in delight, surrounded by so many children, and handed Markl his present early. With a hoot of glee, the blond apprentice pulled on the fancy knitted cap with fiery red tassels that looked a great deal like Calcifer.

Stuffed to the gills, the blond apprentice opened his many gifts, most of which were books and special wizarding objects. Lettie and her husband had managed to get their hands on a pouch of holding, which Sophie and Howl had enchanted for them. It would carry up to 50 pounds without weighing more than an apple and taking up about just as much space. Aunt Martha and Barimus had been more practical, giving the apprentice many books on advanced magic to build his collection for when he began his own trade.

Markl already wore the gift Howl had given him, and the sandy haired apprentice was overjoyed by his mother's present. Sophie had truly outdone herself with the cloak of many colors she had put together. The patchwork garment could morph into any one of the colored squares of which it consisted. He spent some time before the family shifting like a from reds, to greens, to blues. The cloak also had the ability to fade into the background, much like a chameleon could blend into his surroundings.

Uncle Barimus had not yet showed up, but Aunt Martha assured him in not so many words that the red wizard would be here before sundown. Markl had one more gift to receive, from Calcifer, who greedily ate the small wax packets the apprentice had brought back from the apocathary. Zipping out into the sky above the garden, the little fire daemon exploded into a dazzling display of fireworks. As the family cheered and clapped for each new colored and twisting show of shimmering sparks, Markl blended into the background using his new cloak and quietly crept up the stairs.

The apprentice followed the winding staircase up to the observation deck at the very top of the castle, and continued up into the crow's-nest that crowned the spire. This was his favorite hiding spot, and his favorite place to think. He paused for a moment on the ladder leading to the very peek of his flying home.

The indigo sky overhead was alive with stars, and a sliver of moon had already chased the sun halfway across the world. He watched as the great red orb was devoured by the towering columns of black and grey clouds. Calcifer's fireworks exploded in plumes of colored light below him, tingeing the fluffy clouds in a rainbow of pastels. The cold wind whipped through his hair and made his eyes water. A thrill of exhilaration filled him when he realized that if he wished he could let go of the ladder and he would not fall.

His magic was his wings and he could fly if he truly believed in his power. This was freedom, he realized as he stood at the top of the world. He gazed up at the violet dome of heaven, which caught fire in the light of the setting sun. Peace filled him as he pushed open the trapped door and climbed inside only to discover that he was not alone.

The momentary sense of tranquility fled like a fickle lover as he caught sight of Theresa leaning over the banister, her hair made all the more red from the sparklers below. His aunt's helper was unlike the majority of the girls Markl knew, who dressed in frilly silly outfits and fussed over their makeup and hair. Theresa was wearing a natural colored cotton chemise and voluminous green trousers that gathered into cuffs at her tiny feet. It seemed rather sensible that she would wear pants and her practicality made him like her even more. Around her narrow waist was a thick black belt from which hung several pouches. His knees turned to water as she turned to gaze at him curiously with green eyes.

"Umm, hi," He spoke lamely, managing to make it into the crow's-nest without stumbling.

"Oh, hi Markl," the apprentice's heart leaped as he realized she knew his name, "I'm not supposed to be up here, huh?"

"Umm, no… Er, I mean it's alright I suppose. How did you get up here?" He kicked himself mentally for sounding like an idiot, but Theresa smiled.

"I climbed the ladder, silly. I bet you mean how did I know this was up here? Lady Martha told me about it and I had to see it for myself," she turned and leaned dangerously far out over the banister making Markl very nervous.

"I haven't even the slightest ability for magic. I'm lucky that you don't need to be a witch to be a healer or I'd have no trade. Still, I've always wished I could be a witch so I could fly. I guess this is the closest I'll ever get," she murmured softly, and the young wizard caught himself staring at her. For some strange reason he had been seized by the odd compulsion to count the freckles that speckled her pretty face.

"I know what you mean," Markl relaxed a bit since he was comfortable talking about magic, "I've always wanted to be a bird so I could fly."

"But can't you? I mean you're a wizard's apprentice, can't you fly?" Theresa turned her head towards him; her green eyes alight with the question.

"Yes, well, I've done it a few times in the workshop with my master. Would you like me to try?"

"Yes!" She almost squealed.

Markl felt silly for trying to show off in front of Theresa, but he very well couldn't say no without disappointing her. Closing his eyes, he tried to remember what Master Howl had said.

_When it comes to magic, you are your own well, Markl. _The raven-haired wizard had said. _Often all we need is the tiniest sip of water to whet our thirst, but memories and emotions are the wine that fuels a wizard's fire. They will help you call forth what you need._

Markl reached back to the moment on the ladder where he had felt the weightless feeling of freedom as he soared above the twilight sky. It was like trying to grasp a silver fish in a stream, the wiggling tendrils of his young magic seemed to squirm from his hands every time he tried to take hold of them. Finally, he succeeded in closing his fingers around a thread of silver and the ground fell away beneath his feet.

"Wow!" Theresa gasped in awe and he was jolted back into reality, stumbling as he sank to the ground like a stone.

"That was amazing Markl!" The girl helped him up to his feet and clapped her hands appreciatively.

"It was only an inch," he blushed and ducked his head as he smoothed his hair self-consciously.

"You're learning quickly, just think of how high you'll be able to go with practice?" She replied encouragingly, and Markl felt like he could fly to the moon if she kept looking at him like that.

"Umm, if you like… I can try and put a flying spell on a broom or a paddle. You know, like the witches in the stories use? It wouldn't last very long, but we could try it. Then we could practice together," He spoke haltingly.

Markl's complexion fading to pink as he gained confidence in himself; he may not be able to fly, but the young wizard had no doubt in his ability to cast spells on objects.

"Really? How wonderful!" She cried, going pink with pleasure and she hugged him impulsively to express her thanks. Markl was sure he felt the ground disappear beneath his feet again in the rosy moment that followed, but he was brought back to earth by his mother's voice.

"Are you up there, Markl?" Sophie called.

Theresa and Markl peered down through the hatch and caught sight of the silver haired witch staring up at them from the observation deck below.

"Oh, hello, Theresa dear; I was wondering where you had gone."

"Markl and I were watching the fireworks. They are really spectacular seen from up here, Mrs. Howl," Theresa spoke with elation, although his mother seemed dubious.

"Barimus is here, you two should come down and say hello," Sophie called and turned with a motherly look back to make sure they were descending the ladder before she disappeared down the spiral staircase.

For the first time he could recall, Markl wanted to kick his mother.

xXx

Long after the family had gone to sleep, Markl lay awake in his bed staring at the gables of the ceiling overhead. He was fully clothed and still wore the purple earrings Howl had given him. The young wizard should have been thinking about his eminent trip into the otherworld, but instead his mind was stuck on a certain red-haired girl.

The knock at his door brought him back to himself and it opened to reveal his master and uncle. Markl sat up and blinked at them owlishly, noting the grins on their face.

"I heard someone got caught in the crow's-nest with Theresa," Barimus eyed him wolfishly and Howl had to stifle a chuckle as Markl turned scarlet in the dark. The three wizards went downstairs silently, and Calcifer watched them with large eyes.

"Congratulations," he crackled genuinely as they passed then popped, "And good luck."

Standing before the front door, Howl looked back at his apprentice as he turned the magic knob to the black mark.

"Ready?"

Markl nodded and winced as Barimus ruffled his hair.

"Remember that there is no sound in the otherworld," Howl continued, a slight smile on his handsome face and his large blue eyes alight with anticipation, "You'll get the hang of communicating with your thoughts eventually."

His master opened the door and the young apprentice shivered as the fey wind of the otherworld filtered into the room. The doorway opened up into a vast indigo sky unlike anything Markl had ever seen. Not without fear, he stepped over the boundary between worlds and slowly floated into a place made of dreams.

xXx

As the bright outline of the doorway folded into nothing, the young wizard experienced the most unnerving sense of simultaneous buoyancy and absolute heaviness. Buffeted by the constant otherwind, he foundered in the air and began to panic as he listed to the side.

Barimus and Howl glided effortlessly from above and took a hold of his elbows, helping him keep upright as they began a slow descent into the world below. Thousands of tiny lights winked and glowed serenely beneath his feet and for a moment he had the disorienting feeling that he had gotten turned upside down. But the darkness below the mellow velvet sky resolved into gentle rolling green hills that seemed to reach until the end of eternity.

It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Just as Howl pointed into the distance, Markl took notice of a reddish tinge in the sky, which made the indigo veil look like it had been burned. Beneath the scorched portion of the sky, a thin dusky line stretched endlessly just before the horizon. It seemed to hungrily absorb the gentle light of the tranquil world, appearing dry and stolid in comparison to the verdant green that was quickly rushing up to meet them.

As they touched down, Howl began to walk over the hills toward the thing in the distance. Barimus looked back, his hair and clothes fluttering soundlessly in the otherwind as he beckoned Markl. They walked in silence for what seemed like both seconds and hours until his master held up a hand. Once more he motioned to the thing in the distance and Markl recognized it now as the Dull Wall.

Fascination and revulsion filled him as he peered at the coal-like bricks of the Wall. He felt a powerful compulsion to go to the thing, in spite of the fact that every thread of his being screamed at him to do the opposite. As he took a step forward Howl placed a hand on his chest and gazed back at him with serene eyes. His master shook his head.

Barimus and Howl once again took his arms as they lifted from the ground. Hovering in the air just high enough so that they could see over the Dull Wall, the red wizard pointed into the beyond. Markl could see the scorched black sands that blew in that empty place. His face twisted in horror as he caught sight of the thousands of twisting red lights that writhed in that burned place. The sky above boiled for a moment and glowed red as his heart filled with terror.

_Is that hell?_ Markl managed to think with some difficulty at his master, who turned and regarded him.

_Heaven and Hell are uncertain things; they are a perhaps that exists far beyond this world. _Howl replied in his enigmatic way, and then turned his eyes back beyond the Wall. _That is the scorched plain, the place were the otherworld was scarred by the Mage Wars ages ago. The Wallmakers created the Dull Wall to keep the Dark beyond it from consuming the green. _

_Is it evil?_ Markl sent to both wizards who let go of his arms as they sank back onto the green below.

_Magic isn't good or evil, Markl. It simply is. Equally, the Wall is not bound to either light or dark. _Howl's thoughts were colored with cryptic spirals of wisdom.

Barimus' thoughts washed like angry crimson water over the lingering serenity of Howl's. The red wizard scowled as he gazedat the barrier with open disgust. _The Dull Wall is mortal magic, which is as fallible as those that wield it. It is insatiable and unfeeling, but it serves its purpose._

Casting his eyes over his shoulder to the peaceful rolling hills, Markl felt the wistful need to lie in the grass and stare at the sky. Almost as though he read his apprentice's mind, Howl reached out and touched Markl's shoulder, his eyes powerful as he pulled the boy back in himself. The red wizard gained the apprentice's attention once more.

_Don't be deceived by the green hills, as much as they look like paradise, they are not. _Barimus explained._ The otherworld exists between the mortal realm and the great beyond. You must be vigilant in this place, Markl. The otherwind erodes even time in this place. Stay too long and it will rob you of everything, you mind, your soul and your life._

Howl made a sweeping motion. _This is where magic comes from, Markl. Wizards once took it for granted and almost destroyed it in their pride. It must be revered and protected at all costs. The balance must be preserved; should this world be consumed by the Darkness beyond so too will the mortal realm._

_I think I understand._ Markl replied as he gazed up at the indigo sky above.

Howl patted his apprentice's shoulder and turned to walk back the way they had come. Barimus gave the young wizard a playful shove and grinned at him as they followed after the raven-haired man.

Mark experienced an unsettling sense of pressure between his ears just as Howl and Barimus stopped in their tracks, a look of surprise on both of their faces. Casting his eyes about, Howl pointed at something on the edge of the verdant hills.

The tiny shapes flickered and danced into life, growing brighter and more colorful as they drew near. Barimus looked as though he was choking on something. Howl's face grew alive with wonder as the points of shimmering light trailed gossamer strands of magic as they fell from above like stars. The twisting points of light resolved into human-like forms outlined in silver, the starry sky seemed to fill them.

A rainbow halo surrounded their heads and tiny eyes blinked at them full of mystery. The living lights joined hands and danced around the three wizards, their tiny voice chiming like a harmony of a thousand silver bells within their minds. The beings beckoned, implored, ignored, and rejoiced all at once; rolling back and forth like the tides of the sea.

Like the night sky before dawn, the figures began to fade as the chain of their hands broke. One by one they sparkled once more into points of light and shot off into the indigo veil. One remained behind, trembling as though it were caught in a strong wind. It gestured with its arms imploringly before it dimmed into nothing.

Howl's face was troubled as he reached out to the being just before it disappeared. A resolute expression hardened his features and the wizard clapped his hands, where there would have been a sound like a clap of thunder, a great whirling pressure swelled and split the otherworld in two. The three found themselves thrust back into the mortal world through the front door of the castle, which slammed shut after them.

xXx

"You look awful, Howl!" Calcifer crackled as the royal wizard and the young apprentice clambered up the steps after the Wallmakers' son. The raven-haired man flopped down on the couch in front of the fire daemon and flung a hand over his eyes. The grey light of dawn filtered in through the castle windows; apparently they had been gone for some time.

"Did that just happen, or am I dreaming?" Barimus peered at his brother as he sat on the couch next to him.

"What were those things," Markl asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Those were the star children, Markl," Howl replied wearily, "Haven't you ever heard that story?"

"No…" Markl replied hesitantly, embarrassed by his lack of knowledge, "What are star children?"

"Suliman used to tell us stories about them when we were still apprentices," Barimus replied.

"They appeared once when Suliman pulled Sophie and I into the otherworld before the war ended," Howl mumbled wearily from under his hand.

"Suliman must have really meant business if they showed up for that. This is the first time I've ever seen them," Barimus leaned back in his chair, still in awe. Howl finally began the story he had mentioned before.

"There's an ancient tale about how both light and dark magic came into this world. It is also the same story that ells where the first witches and wizards came from. When this world was new, a mortal man and woman fell in love. The woman was said to be so kind and beautiful that a star fell in love with her. The magical being stole her away from her husband and the mortal world. As the story goes, the woman soon returned the star's affections, for who couldn't love star?

"The woman soon had to return to the mortal world because she was with child. She gave birth to twins: a boy and a girl who were at once both stars and mortals. They were the first witch and wizard and the bringers of magic to this world.

"But all was not well. The mortal woman's spurred husband was filled with hate and he cursed her and her children. The mother fell ill and died under the curse, but her children were powerful and survived. The dark magic the mortal man had called in revenge consumed him, and he became one of the first daemons of the dark.

"He would have destroyed the whole world in his rage. But the star who had stolen his wife was made strong by his grief over the death of his love. With his power he split the world of magic from the mortal realm and creating the otherworld, trapping the Darkness beyond the indigo veil.

"As the star fell to the mortal world and lay dying, his children found him. The being blessed them and gave them the ability to go between the worlds. He also conferred onto them the last of his magic so that they would be able to protect themselves from the curse that still lingered upon them. Although their father was not strong enough to break the curse, he changed it so that their days would be filled with both love and suffering."

"After their father died, the children of the star made a choice; they decided that they must part to protect the worlds from being destroyed: one would go into the otherworld and one would stay in the mortal world. Together they would strive to preserve balance. It is said that all the witches and wizards today are descendants from the Star Child that remained in the mortal world."

"According to the story, the beings we saw in the otherworld just now are descendants of the Star Child who stayed in the otherworld. We're lucky, a wizard can live for hundreds of years and never see one."

Markl was spellbound by Howl's tale and remained silent long after his master had finished. He spoke hesitantly, remembering the being that had lingered imploringly.

"What about the star that lingered behind the others. What did it want?"

"I don't know," Howl removed his hand and stared at the ceiling, his eyes troubled.

"But it seemed like it was trying to talk to us, like it wanted to warn us," The apprentice continued.

"Daemons are never reliable," Calcifer crackled ominously from the grate, "Especially star daemons. They're too old and flightily, they never make any sense."

"Weren't you a star at one point in time, Calcifer?" Markl rounded on the little flame with intense eyes. The spark popped in surprise, flickering small.

"For a moment as I fell into the mortal world. I wasn't really anything until Howl swallowed me," Cal replied evasively, then closed his eyes and dwindled small, pretending to go to sleep.

"I wonder what this means?" The young apprentice mused seriously.

"It doesn't mean anything, Markl; it's just a story. Try not to think about it too much," Howl replied in a dismissive voice as he shot to his feet, transforming mercurially from complete repose to swift movement. He ruffled his apprentice's hair as he passed by and headed towards the stairs.

"You did well, Markl. Best we get some sleep now. Good night," Howl called as he went upstairs.

Markl and Barimus lingered behind and the young apprentice felt a surge of resentment for his master. _That's the problem, Master Howl. You never think too much about anything. _Markl fumed silently, still staring into the fire. He must have been hiding his anger very poorly, because Barimus chuckled and cast an upside down glance at Markl from the couch.

"Come sit, Markl. Don't brood too darkly or you're liable to scorch the floor."

The ginger-haired boy flopped down next to the red wizard and stretched his long legs out to the fire. He had grown about an inch over the last three weeks and his new height still surprised him. The moodiness he was feeling did not pass and intensified due to the fact that he felt gangling and out of place in his changing body. Barimus waited patiently, regarding the sulking boy mildly.

"Why does Master Howl always dismiss EVERYTHING like NOTHING matters?" Markl exploded suddenly.

"He goes on and on about responsibility and vigilance and paying attention to the ripples of magic in the otherworld. But whenever I try to talk to him about something important in this world he shrugs it off like I'm imagining things! Something is happening, uncle Barimus, I can feel it! And Howl's ignoring everything!"

Markl suddenly felt ashamed at his outburst. He colored heavily as hot blood rushed into his cheeks. Casting a fearful glance at Granny Witch's curtain, the young wizard heard only snoring. Barimus seemed surprised; although the even expression with which he regarded his nephew had not changed. His uncle's scrutiny made him feel even worse.

Who was he to judge his master? Howl's methods were always unconventional; perhaps he wasn't ignoring things. Perhaps he was simply trying to protect him. But he was the wizard's apprentice! They were supposed to work together, not keep secrets from one another! The conflicting feelings within the young man flared and chilled, sending him through emotional back flips.

"Do you want to talk about what's really bothering you, Markl?" The red wizard's voice was kind as he spoke and Markl relented.

The young wizard stumbled through a halting recount of the last two days. He started with the trip to Market Chipping, how he had lost Shan and then found him in a back alley with the strange cold woman. He quickly recounted his brother's tale about the little silver-haired girl. Finally, so that he would not loose momentum due to hesitancy, Markl told the red wizard about what he had seen and heard over Mrs. Fairfax's shoulder six years ago.

Encouraged by the intense look of attention on the Royal Wizard's face, Mark again swore heatedly that he had heard a baby's cry. He watched his uncle carefully; worried that he too would withdraw from him under the weight of sorrowful memories. But Barimus seemed to galvanize under the pain that showed plainly in his eyes.

"Are you sure, Markl? Could Shan be fibbing?"

"Shan's telling the truth. I can always tell when he's lying. I'm positive it's her, the healer I saw that night. Something about her never sat right with me and it was the same when I saw her yesterday."

The red wizard regarded him grimly, "I believe you Markl. Listen to me, I'm going to tell you some things about what happened that night and you have to promise that you will keep them to yourself."

"That goes for you too, Calcifer," Barimus shot a look at the little ember, who was glowing a soft red-yellow.

"I know more secrets about this family then you can count, you ruddy-wizard. Have I ever blabbed about any of them?" The little spark grumbled irritably, not deigning to roll over and look at them. The red wizard seemed satisfied with that and turned his attention back to Markl. His voice was strong and his story went straight to the point.

"Six years ago, someone put a curse on the mirror in the suite Martha and I reside in at the Palace. It would have killed her if Sophie hadn't broken it. It was a premeditated attack. Just before it took effect someone sent Howl a forged letter from me on stolen stationary. At the same time I was summoned by a similar false letter from Howl to somewhere else in Kingsbury.

"The magic used on both was the same, and a group of my supporters from the council used it to track down the culprit in the seedy district of the capital. We questioned the magician, but he was a lesser magician of minimal powers. There was no way he could have masterminded such a well executed plan. This was made all the more clear when we realized that someone had meddled with his mind and he had nothing to tell.

"We dug deeper, but never found anything. This is the first lead we've had in six years."

Barimus reached out and patted him on the shoulder, a fierce smile on his face, "You are your master's son, Markl. You have great power and you should trust your instincts. I am glad you told me about this. I will look into it; I promise you that, but please leave this to me now. Whatever is going on may be far more dangerous than it appears."

The red wizard stood as suddenly as Howl had, his eyes lost in thought. Markl's instincts told him that the wizard had not told him everything and again he was seized by irrational anger over begin treated like a child. Those feeling melted like ice as his uncle regarded him with open approval.

"I would like it very much if you would come by the palace and see me. You're growing up very quickly and I dare say you will not be an apprentice for long. I'd like to introduce you to some witches and wizards who will make excellent contacts for when you start your own career. Also, you should stop by Martha's shop and say hello to your auntie. She does so enjoy your visits.

"We're very proud of you Markl," This was Barimus' way of saying goodnight, and the red wizard turned and disappeared out the front door.

Markl wasn't sure how long he sat there staring at Calcifer's flames. Outside the early twilight had brightened into a sunny dawn. The weary apprentice turned bleary eyes to regard Sophie as she came down the stairs to make breakfast.

xXx

It had taken some finagling, but Markl finally convinced Sophie to let him go to Kingsbury unaccompanied. At first, he had used Barimus' offer as the reason for his desire to visit the capital. But Sophie regarded her son knowingly and Markl was sure she had seen straight through him.

Much to the young wizard's dismay, Howl waved off his apprentice's appeals for support. His silver haired mother had stalwartly refused, coming very close to loosing her temper. But Howl finally stepped in, explaining to his wife that Markl was coming very close to journeyman status as a wizard's apprentice and should be out making contacts. Sophie had gathered herself to launch into a full scale rebuttal, but she recanted for some reason. The silver witch regarded him over breakfast with a look he could not decipher, and finally acquiesced.

"Can I go too?" Shan bounced in excitement, but cowed under his mother's look. The black-haired little boy pitched a fit as Markl pulled on his patchwork cloak and got ready to go.

"I want to go too!" His little brother wailed tearfully, sitting in the middle of the floor and refusing to let Sophie pick him up. "I wanna, I wanna, I wanna!"

"Gah! Someone smother me please!" Calcifer cried in exasperation as he tried to hide under a stout piece of wood.

"Oh, what a loud little boy," Granny witch mumbled as she gazed at the stormy rain cloud that was Shan, who showered the floor with tears. Heen, who had grown fatter and lazier over the years, could barely squeeze under the old woman's chair and regarded the toddler with terrified eyes. Howl laughed at his youngest son and was no help at all as he leaned over the little boy, giving him pointers on how to throw a tantrum.

"If you're going to throw a fit, Shan, you need to kick your feet. You won't get any attention if you sit there like a lump."

"Howl! Don't encourage him! He needs to learn that he won't get anything when he does that," Sophie cried at her husband in consternation as she did her best to ignore the raven-haired little boy.

Amongst all the screaming the castle seemed suffocating and extremely foreign to Markl. He was seized by a compulsion to get out of there as quickly as possible. He slipped down the stairs and turned the magic knob to red, disappearing out into the busy streets of Kingsbury without a goodbye of a look back. Even full of the smoking perambulator machines the citizens of the capital used to get about, the city seemed quiet and peaceful compared to the castle.

The young wizard let out a sigh and took off for Martha's shop, his hand closing around the object he held in his pocket. He had spent the better part of the last week inside due to nasty weather. But he passed the time up in the workshop studying his new books and tinkering with the spell he was working on. Howl had answered all of his questions on magic and components without probing into the why of his need. Markl was very grateful at times for the hands-off approach his master took to letting him explore beyond the lessons he gave.

The thing in his pocket was actually the reason he had asked to go into Kingsbury. He hadn't forgotten the offer he made to Theresa; far from it. It had given him such single minded inspiration that Howl had given an uninvited complement for his work, a rare act for the distracted wizard.

Markl, however, managed to get completely lost in Kingsbury.

The Ingarian capital was a huge city, with broad open streets lined with white elms and towering town houses five and six stories high. There were no gaps between any of the buildings, which soared overhead blocking out any natural phenomena that could have acted as a guide to the young wizard. Busy citizens rushed about in finery that made him feel like a county bumpkin, and he finally worked up enough courage to ask directions from a soldier who stood motionless in a large square.

Finally, the streets became narrower and the houses more subdued. In the distance Markl caught sight of the huge weeping willow that leaned over Martha's herb shop. The white washed little cottage sat on a wild patch of green bursting with wildflowers and bees. It was encircled by a raw wood picket fence and in the back the ginger haired youth could see a couple of greenhouses.

A heavy gilded sign hung over the shop's door depicting a mortar, pestle, and a leafy green something. Gazing at the cottage, Markl realized it looked like someone had scooped up a handful of the Folding Valley and transplanted it smack in the middle of Kingsbury. Markl didn't put it past the magic of the red wizard. According to Aunt Lettie, who gossiped notoriously every time she saw him, Uncle Barimus loved his wife madly and would go to any lengths to please her. Also according to his eldest aunt, Barimus needed to spend more time with said wife, who she felt he was neglecting.

Gathering his courage, Markl pushed open the gate and went up to the door, knocking politely. Someone peered out at him through a lacey curtain and the door flew open as his youngest Aunt towered in the doorway. Markl flinched before her presence. The herbalist my not have had powerful magic, but she had the uncanny ability to project herself with such ferocity that she could be terrifying. She blinked and softened into a pose that communicated delight and welcome as she recognized him.

"Markl! I couldn't see you, you're cloak is making you blend in with the walk. Come in, come in," that was the most words he had heard her speak in a while. Martha was not known to be chatty.

She ushered him into the dim and smoky store, and the spicy green aroma that always clung to the hedge witch enfolded him. Hanging his cloak on the pegs next to the door, Markl cast his eyes around the room. Shelves upon shelves of white labeled glass jars and opaque crockery lined the walls. A few were dedicated to large bound books and heavy stone mortars and pestles. Creeping vines and lacey ferns in pots of many colors and sizes crammed every window ledge and flat space, giving the light that filtered inside an emerald tinge.

Martha moved back to the huge oak table that dominated the room, it managed to be at once wild and ordered with the many scales, bowls, and smoking braziers that strewn across its landscape. His aunt was wearing a natural colored chemise and baggy green pants exactly like Theresa had been wearing in the crow's-nest. Around her neck hung a large ruby pendant that Markl knew was a talisman, he recalled seeing Barimus wear it at one point in time. She looked tired and pale, wisps of her black hair escaping the braid she had coiled around her head.

Regardless of her appearance, the woman returned to a large grinding stone and began to relentlessly pounding a substance into a fine power. He was about to ask her how she was when she spoke suddenly, not looking up from her work.

"Theresa's in the garden. If not in the greenhouses, try the trees."

Markl blushed furiously, but Martha didn't notice. That was her way of telling him she had nothing more to say. He retreated out the front door and rounded the cottage by way of a stone path. The backyard had looked deceptively small from the front, but it was huge. Trees of every kind lined the wooden fence, which was taller here, and the three glass hot houses suddenly multiplied into six. The long rows of the garden burst with healthy and well kept plants marked by small labels on stakes.

Wind chimes and bits of colored glass sparkled here and there as Markl wandered through the backyard. He entertain a squirrelly sense of pride as he picked out the places where Barimus had magicked the garden to be bigger that the actual size of the plot it stood on. He listened to the distant patter of water from some pond or fountain hidden someplace in the foliage. His heart nearly leapt out of his chest as Theresa dropped from a tree ahead of him and landed with skilled grace.

"Oh! Hi, Markl. I didn't see you there. Did I scare you?" She turned to regard him with surprise and colored a rosy pink as she attempted to dust herself off.

It was a futile effort.

The herbalist's assistant was barefoot and muddy. Her baggy green pants were caked with soil at both hem and knees. She smudged a line of grim on her cheek as she scratched her nose with her equally dirty hands. Markl noted that there were leaves and sticks in her curly red hair, which she had twisted into two knots at either side of her head. She regarded him with big green eyes and placed hers hand on her hips. At that moment he thought she had never looked lovelier, and realized at once he was staring.

"Um, hi, Theresa," he replied haltingly, "N-no, you didn't scare me."

"Did you come to visit Lady Martha? She's in a powerful bad mood today, best leave her alone. But you can keep me company if you like," she replied brightly and began walking off into the garden. Markl followed behind feeling like a lame duck.

Theresa snagged a watering can and began showering a line of low growing herbs. Again Markl was staring and he tried to start up a conversation as he dragged out the charm in his pocket.

"I actually came to see you, Theresa. I mean, that is, because I finished that charm I told you about," he foundered helplessly.

"What charm?" She replied as she sat down the watering can. She regarded the bit of colored glass and feather that dangled on a string with dubious eyes.

"Remember from the crow's-nest," his heart sank as he realized she didn't remember their conversation in the slightest, "I said I'd make you a charm that can help you fly."

She straightened and stared at him in utter surprise. Her face went through an amazing transformation as she realized what he was talking about it. The apprentice could feel his knees going weak. She seized his hand, almost crushing the charm as she hopped in place, her face alight with pure delight.

"I thought you were just saying that! You really made it didn't you? Oh, Markl, how wonderful!"

She snatched it out of his hand and peered at it curiously, then tied it around her neck. Before he could explain, she tensed and hunched with an intense look of concentration on her face. Theresa let out the breath she held with a great gush and looked at him in despair.

"It's not working…" She said in a small sad voice and Markl couldn't help but laugh.

"It's not for you to wear, silly," He replied sensibly and reached to untie it from her neck, "We need something like a broom."

"How about a hoe?" Theresa asked in excitement and dashed off to snatch up the gardening tool from where it leaned against a tree.

Markl took it from her and wrapped he charm around the very top of the shaft. He touched the bit of glass and string and whistled tunelessly. They glowed brightly for a moment, and sunk into the wood with a hiss and shimmer. The circle of green glass embedded itself in the wood, showing through to the feather beneath. The magic felt strong and alive beneath his hands, and his heart soared. Turning, he handed it to Martha, who was regarding him with a look of absolute awe. He would have been shy under that gaze, but magic always made him confident.

"Try it now," he spoke calmly and the red headed girl tucked the hoe between her legs, a worried expression wrinkling her brow.

"It won't work if you don't believe silly!" He laughed in good humor as Theresa' face twisted in concentration. A light wind ruffled her clothing as she lifted from the ground. Her face went alive with surprise.

"It's working! I'm flying," She cried in delight as she climbed into the air slowly. The red-head was about ten feet up when she realized how high she was going and wobbled uncertainly.

"I'm frightened!" She cried.

The ground fell away beneath Markl's feet as he darted upwards like a bird. Theresa latched onto him as they paused mid-air, nearly dragging herself off the garden hoe.

"Whoa, hold onto the hoe, Theresa! I can't keep us both in the air," Markl spoke quickly. The white faced girl let go of him and seized the head of the garden tool, wobbling unsteadily.

"Don't let go!" She almost shrieked and Markl gently took a hold of her shoulders, steadying her in the air. They simply floated there for a while until the panic left Theresa. Her head suddenly snapped up as she regarded the young wizard.

"Markl, you're flying!"

"So I am," he laughed as he regarded the girl with his brown eyes, "Feel better now?

Theresa nodded, but still eyed the ground dubiously.

"Remember, you have to trust the spell. It will weaken and you will wobble if you're afraid. Half of magic is simply believing. Shall I let go?"

She nodded again, but this time with more conviction. As he lifted his hands she remained balanced and with a shout of glee, she leaned forward and began sailing around the garden. Under Markl's encouraging tutelage, Theresa was swooping around the garden in no time and they began to climb higher into the air.

In fact, they began attracting a crowd. Markl could see a few interested citizens's pointing at them from the streets beyond the tree line. A couple of air kayaks buzzed them curiously, and Markl waved to the guards that rode them. They seemed quite surprised, and one even waved back.

"We should probably go down, Theresa!" Markl called at the squealing girl, who zipped through the sky like a hawk, "The magic is only good for a little bit each day. If you ride it for too long it will take a days to recharge!"

"Awww, do we have to?" She cried sullenly, but followed quickly as the young wizard began sinking.

The crowd of people had grown larger, and Markl could see their faces as the ground approached from below. A spidery feeling snaked across his mind as he recognized a figure among the people. The cold woman leapt out of the crowd under his eyes like a flame in the dark. She was staring right at him with such open hatred that he felt faint. Standing by her side, holding the woman's hand was a tiny girl about Shan's age. She had silver hair, just like Sophie's. On the other side of the little girl stood another woman, who was thin and plain without any recognizable characteristics. It was strange; as Markl looked at her he could only think to describe her as empty.

"Markl, what is it?" Theresa's voice brought him back to himself and the young apprentice realized he was hovering just above the trees.

"What the devil are you two doing!" Martha's voice startled them both.

They fell from the sky like stones as the spell broke under their surprise. Luckily they landed in the deep pond beneath them with a splash. Unluckily, Markl managed to swallow a mouthful of green slime before he could clamp his mouth shut.


	5. Chapter 5: Lost Lamb

I've been writing a great deal on stolen time. It's my vacation right now, but I do need to get some work done so I can graduate. That means I probably won't be posting anything for a little while.

Just a little heads up, there will be one more chapter in this part and then I plan to start work on Part III of the Wallmaker saga, which will also have six chapers.

Let's see if I can do it... Gee I'm tired, but this fanfic has CONSUMED me!

As always, thanks for reading! .

Lady Librarian

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**Children of the Stars: Part II of the Wallmaker saga**

**Chapter 5: Lost Lamb**

If Aunt Martha could tower any higher she would have touched the ceiling. She regarded both Markl and Theresa with her hands on her hips and her eyes dark with disapproval. Both apprentices were dripping wet, the puddles beneath their feet growing in size. Theresa sniffed pathetically, but the herbalist turned the full power of her flinty stare on the red haired girl, obliterating the plea for sympathy.

"It's my fault, ma'am," Markl spoke as he came to the red-haired girl's defense. He winced and silenced under the heat of the gaze as it turned in his direction.

Markl was not so removed from his situation by the sight of the cold healer to be unaffected by his Aunt's wrath. It had never occurred to him that it might be unwise to practice magic in the open in Kingsbury. Martha had scribbled a quick note to her husband after fishing them out of the pond. She had handed it off to a palace page through a magic portal the apprentice had failed to notice occupied the front door of the shop.

Barimus strode through the front door after what seemed like an eternity of shrinking and squirming under Martha's steely gaze. However, the red wizard was well known for his sense of humor, and he burst into laughter after taking in both Theresa and Markl. Martha's glower was positively venomous as she rounded on her husband, who did not relent in the slightest. It was a brave man that could laugh under the weight of that gaze.

"Enough, Martha," he laughed in sympathy and kissed his wife, who blinked in surprise and colored a light pink. "Look at them; they're soaked to the bone. And they smell awful. Did you really fall into that ghastly pond? It's a wonder the slime didn't eat you."

The red wizard snatched a pot from the shelves and doused the two apprentices in drying powder. They sneezed and coughed but were grateful to be dry. Barimus pulled a chair over from the table and sat before them. An admonishing look crept into his eyes if not onto his lips, which still smirked with humor. They both remained standing at attention, expecting the worst even if the red wizard was smiling.

"Where is the offending object?" He asked ominously and the herbalist handed him the garden hoe. He leaned forward and inspected the circle of green glass that was imbedded in the top of the pole, his face pensive. He frowned and nodded in approval. He actually seemed impressed as he handed it to Theresa, who took it timidly.

"That's a strong piece of work, Markl. How long did it take you do make that charm?"

"About a week, sir," Markl replied proudly.

"Barimus!" Martha's voice was incredulous.

"Dear, Martha, don't be so hard on them. They were just having a bit of fun. It's an excellent piece of magic and it would be a shame to waste it. Besides, weren't you just lamenting the other day how you were keeping poor Theresa running all over town with errands and deliveries? Now she can move five times as quickly."

That seemed to stymie the wizard's wife, whose mouth gaped as though she would speak but could think of nothing to say. The red wizard sat back in his chair and regarded Martha pleasantly.

"Good! I'm glad you agree. I'll have to make sure that she's licensed properly to carry an enchanted item as a non-magic citizen. But that won't take much."

Markl had not spent much time around both Barimus and Martha over the past few years, and he was intrigued by their dynamic. The ginger haired apprentice both loved and feared his youngest Aunt. But seeing her completely disarmed before her husband revealed a new aspect of her personality.

"None-the-less!" Barimus rounded on Markl with an intense gaze full of disapproval, "You, young man, should be well versed in the Ingarian laws regarding the use of magic in public places. And it is woefully apparent that you are not. This will have to be rectified."

He shot to his feet, sweeping the chair back up to the table as he strode to the door. The royal wizard beckoned to his nephew.

"Take your cloak, Markl; you will be accompanying me to the palace."

He smiled charmingly at his wife, who still stood thunderstruck in the kitchen.

"Don't worry about bothering Sophie and Howl about this, Martha. I will see that he is disciplined and I will take him home tonight as well."

"Will you be late?" She asked, finally finding her voice. Barimus softened as he gazed at his wife.

"Only just," He replied gently. His warm brown eyes melted for a moment, and then he swept the door open, exposing the richly carpeted corridors of the Palace.

"In you go, Markl!" He called, and the young wizard snatched up his cloak before clambered through the doorway.

xXx

"Whoo! That was a close call; Martha almost cooked your goose for that one."

Barimus laughed as he closed the door behind them. There were in some kind of study but Mark recognized the darkly burnished wainscoting and red rugs of the Palace décor. He quickly trotted off after his uncle, the new length of his legs making it easy to keep up with the wizard's brisk pace.

"Am I going to jail, sir?" Markl asked with such seriousness that his uncle again shook with laugher.

"Gods no, Markl; that was all hot air to please your Aunt. And don't call me sir. You're my nephew, not a servant."

"Does that mean I'm not in trouble?"

"Oh, no; you're still in trouble, my boy, but only just. Howl really needs to let you out more often. He's neglecting some very important aspects of your education."

"Will Theresa be in trouble? Please, uncle Barimus, it was all my doing."

The red wizard cast a side-long glance at his nephew, a knowing look in his eyes.

"Aren't you a little young to be impressing girls, Markl?"

"Theresa and I are just friends!" He stammered quickly and flushed as red as his uncle's garments. Again the elder wizard laughed with good natured humor. Encouraged by Barimus' good mood, Markl spoke quickly, his face falling deadly serious.

"Uncle, I saw her again! She's here in Kingsbury."

"The cold woman?" The red wizard almost came to a complete stop as surprise showed plainly on his face. That look fell to an expression of intense attention, "Where and when?"

"When I was flying with Theresa I saw her in a crowd of people in the street. She was staring right at me like she knew who I was. I got that squirrelly feeling again."

"That _squirrelly_ feeling is your magic telling you that someone is probing at you," he replied shortly and then fell into silence. His face was marred by an angry scowl.

"Uncle?" The apprentice asked after a moment.

"Sorry, Markl; I'm a bit distracted. I don't like how that woman keeps popping up around our family. I'll put someone on this right away."

He took a hard right in the way that a person does when they know exactly where they're going, having walked that way a hundred of times. Looking up, the young wizard looked through an enormous pair of arched doors and caught sight of a huge atrium filled with light. More books than he had seen in his entire life filled this room with every bit of knowledge he could possibly imaging. Looking around at the spines, he realized that half of them were written in a language he had never seen before. His fingers itched as his eyes devoured the sight.

"Welcome to the Library of Ingary's Royal Wizard Academy!"

Barimus announced as he ushered the boy to a seat at one of the many tables that filled the center of the room. He disappeared for a moment leaving Markl feeling small and out of place in the grand room. Lots of other boys and girls his age wandered about the room. _These must be the apprentices who are studying here_, Markl thought. Most were sitting in clusters around huge tomes as they scratched on slips of parchment with pens.

The majority of them were studying intently, but some were gazing at him curiously. Others were sending looks his way that were not so kind. Markl realized that he must look dirty and plain among all these nicely dressed students. He felt very out of place and wished at once that he could go home.

"And now for your punishment!" Barimus announced though he had just told his nephew he won a prize.

He reappeared so suddenly that he gave Markl a fright as he dropped the thick book in front of the young wizard. Some of the other apprentice's near by twittered with laughter, but paled and dropped their faces as Barimus shot a heavy look their way. Reaching down the red wizard opened the book halfway through and pointed at the page.

"Title 534, section 56, Ingarian royal decree number 6,547: the laws and regulations regarding the use of magic and enchanted items in public places. Read. All of it." Barimus pronounced the last sentence as though it were his doom.

"But, it will take me all day!" Markl cried in dismay flipping through the pages.

"Punishment isn't supposed to be fun, nephew. Don't worry. I'll send word to Sophie and Howl about where you are. I'll be back later to collect you."

With that Barimus turned on his heel and left as briskly as he had come. Markl shrank as he felt all the eyes in the room fall upon him; somewhere in the distance he heard someone snigger. Gluing his eyes to the page below, he pulled up his hood and began to read.

xXx

"Alright, Markl; time to go," someone was shaking his shoulder and he sat up realizing he had fallen asleep.

"But I haven't finished reading yet," he mumbled blearily.

"Leave that blasted thing! There's nothing useful in that rot anyway," the young wizard recognized his master's voice immediately and he climbed to his feet half sleepwalking.

Howl must have taken him by the arm through the winding corridors of the Palace because Markl had no recollection of ending up back in his uncle's office. He woke curled up on a couch to the sound of heated voices arguing in the next room.

"How could you do that to Markl?"

"He is quite fine, Howl. Besides, he could use some exposure to other children his age."

"Don't be patronizing, Barimus. I am well aware of what my son needs!"

"Are you so sure, Howl? He broke several laws today with his little stunt in the sky. I can understand the need to show off in front of a pretty girl. But that's not what bothers me. What bothers me is the fact that he was completely unaware that what he was doing was illegal. You're neglecting a very important part of his education."

"Don't presume to tell me how to teach my own apprentice. Markl knows more about magic than anyone his age at the academy."

"I'm not talking about magic, Howl. I'm talking about life! You live in Ingary, Howl, and so does Markl. You and Sophie keep him cloistered in that castle of yours like in some fairy tale. I know you're trying to protect him, but at what cost?"

"You're lecturing me, Barimus. I do not enjoy being lectured," his master's voice was well-mannered, but icy cold.

"It's not just Markl. You and Sophie both act like hermits, hiding away in your castle and never coming out into the city. You need to deal with the fact that you're running away from the past by hiding from the present."

"Of all people, you shouldn't lecture me about running, Barimus. How is your wife?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means if you're not going to be courteous, I shall have to leave."

"Don't pull the courtier crap with me, Howl. If you won't listen to your apprentice, for once in your bloody life will you listen to me? Markl saw her again, but this time she was outside Martha's shop."

This seemed to give his master pause and his voice was dangerously calm as he spoke again, "Who?"

"The healer from that night six years ago."

There was a long pause.

"He told you about that?"

"Yes. This time Markl saw the little girl with her. He said she was about Akarshan's age and has silver hair."

"My daughter is dead, Barimus! Dead!" Howl was screaming, "Why are you tormenting me with this rubbish?"

"What if she isn't?" The red wizard's voice became gentle where once it had been angry. There was a sound of furniture smashing, "Come back here Howl! Howl!"

The doors to the adjoining chamber came crashing open as Markl's master came storming through. He didn't look at his apprentice and disappeared wordlessly into the dark corridors of the Palace. Barimus stood in the doorway to his office, outlined in black against the light behind him. Everything about him spoke of defeat and he gazed at the young wizard helplessly.

"I'm sorry," Barimus said lamely and shook his head.

"I should go," Markl replied equally helpless.

"I'll take you to your door. Sophie will kill me if she finds out I let you wander about this late at night."

xXx

It was the same dream, the one that she had at least once a month for the past six years. But it was different this time.

She was standing on the green plains in the otherworld, but she was old and grey again. Her magic had fled her and she was helpless and alone. Someone called her name and she turned as the Dull Wall reared up out of the ground and loomed over her menacingly. She could barely see, but at its foot stood two women. One was old but still regal; although her heart was full of ice and hatred. Indeed the ground froze beneath her feet and Sophie knew that a sorrow daemon had eaten her soul.

The second was just as tall, but was untouched by hatred or vice. She was young and beautiful in spite of the fact that she had long silver hair. The younger woman turned and regarded her with blue eyes the same color as Howl's. She looked back to the wall, lifted a single hand to the bricks and pushed. As though it was been a thing of ash and illusion, the Wall crumbled.

As the silver woman turned back to regard her she became a little girl, exactly Akarshan's age. She held out her arms imploringly and shimmered like the star children who had begun to dance around her in a wavering circle. This was where the dream normally ended, but it went on.

_Mother!_ The little girl cried soundlessly as the cold woman loomed over her, looking down at her with pure hatred. The woman raised her clasped hands over her head, light glinting off of the silver blade. As she plunged the knife down, red fire from the scorched plains rushed forward in a great wave, consuming the figures.

"No!" Sophie gasped as she sat upright in bed, a cold sweat clinging to her.

The silver haired woman realized that she was alone in her bed. Like she did sometimes when she couldn't sleep, Sophie got up and peeked into her son's rooms. Shan was fast asleep, sprawled out on his pillows much like his father slept. She cracked Markl's door and peered in at him. He was asleep in his clothes, his patchwork cloak wrapped around him like a blanket. She considered going in to take off his shoes, but decided to let him sleep as he lay.

Going downstairs she caught sight of Howl on the couch in front of Calcifer, who looked up at her with large round eyes. Heen was sitting between his feet. Her husband was hunched forward resting his chin on his fists, staring despondently past the little fire daemon. The fat little dog thumped his tail on the floor as she came to sit beside the raven-haired wizard, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Am I a bad father, Sophie?" His voice was brittle.

"No," she replied with complete conviction, "You're a wonderful father and an excellent husband. You love our boys very much and they love you."

He folded himself up onto the couch and placed his face in his arms, resting them in her lap. She stroked his hair and let him hide in her nightshirt like a little boy. Howl could be aimiable and imperturbable, but his confidence was fragile and cracked easily. Something had upset him greatly this evening and Sophie knew it had to do with Barimus. The two brother's had never been at ease with one another since the tragedy six years ago. It was out of love and sympathy for each other's loss that a wary truce was kept.

Perhaps that truce had finally broken this night.

She and her husband never spoke of their lost daughter, and she knew it weighed heavily on his heart. She had tried to broach the subject once. But the look of overwhelming misery that it brought to her husband's face made her vow to forgo any further attempts. Howl loved his family with an irrational fierceness. It was his one weakness and it was capable of destroying him. Sophie knew that he blamed himself for the loss of their child. He blamed himself for not being there and for not protecting both she and Martha. She had tried on many occasions to convince otherwise him through her actions, since she could not use words.

But Howl wouldn't listen.

"I love you, horrible Howl," Sophie murmured as she leaned down and kissed the top of his head.

He rolled over and gazed up at her, composure returning to him as he pushed his sorrow away deep inside himself. He looked at her like he was seeing the sun for the first time and she blushed at the intensity of his emotion. She was his rock, the look told her, his haven, his place of peace. He would die for her and she for him. The wizard Howl reached up and drew her face down to his, kissing her with desperate tenderness as though he were afraid she would break under his fingers.

But she would not break, and she reminded him of that in hours before the dawn.

xXx

Markl stared out the window of his room looking at Star Lake outside. They had landed the castle not long after breakfast, at which Howl was absent.

"Where's papa?" Shan asked with uncharacteristic seriousness earlier at breakfast.

"He's not feeling well this morning, Shan. Let him rest," Sophie replied.

Granny witch had gone to Mrs. Fairfax's early that morning with a whole basket of yarn. She and the old herbalist were knitting hats and socks for the children at the Chipping Market Orphanage. Between the two of them they could have be-socked the entire village. Markl had retreated up to his room and spent the morning attempting to read. But he ended up staring out the window and sighing. He kept thinking about Theresa and wondered if there was something wrong with him.

There was a soft tap on his door and Sophie came into his room. She sat on the foot of his bed and folded her hands patiently, regarding her son with love and patience. Markl felt awful as he looked up at her, all the secrets inside him burning a hole beneath his heart.

"Mother," he murmured softly as he stumbled to his feet and collapsed into her lap, sobbing bitterly like he had on the day the Wallmaker had stolen Howl away. He had grown so much, Sophie observed, but no matter how big a man grew, the little boy inside never really went away. His tears stopped after a while and she smoothed his hair.

"Feel better?" She asked hopefully.

"No! Not in the slightest," he grumbled into her skirts.

"Want to talk about it?"

"Yes! But I promised Howl and Uncle Barimus that I wouldn't. But I want to so very much."

"Perhaps you should," she spoke softly. Unbeknownst to her son, Sophie was filing through the drawer in her mind where she kept really nasty insults and picked out a few for her brother-in-law. She would deal with her husband later. Perhaps with a swift kick? Kicking things always made her feet better.

For the third time, Markl told the story of recent events. Even adding in his confusing feelings for Theresa and how they had gone flying but fallen into the pond. He told his mother everything, even about the cold woman and the little silver haired girl. In spite of how white her face had gone, he told his mother about the argument Howl and Barimus had that night and then began crying all over again. She hugged him and rocked him. Much to Markl's surprise she mother did not fly into pieces as he had thought she would.

"We're cursed!" He cried woefully into her skirt.

"Curses are self-inflicted as much as they caused by other people. Magic only works when you believe in it. You know that, Markl."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Sophie," He mumbled into her apron.

"It's alright, dear. You were just trying to protect me. Although I think it's time I had a chat with your uncle. Look after Shan and your father for me, will you?"

xXx

"My lord!"

A harried courtier came bursting into Barimus' office and he looked up from the missive he was reading in surprise, "The Sorceress of the Silver Flame is…"

The door to the antechamber burst open as Sophie came striding into the room, her brown eyes flashing as she took in her brother-in-law and the terrified page.

"Out!" She thundered, and the man fled. Barimus tried to stand but he fell back into his seat under the weight of her eyes.

"You, sit!"

Barimus stared at her in rage and was about to try and stand again as Sophie came forward and stood in front of his desk with her hands on her hips, a gesture all of the Hatter sister's employed to great effect.

"How long have you known about the little girl with the silver hair?" She all but demanded.

Barimus looked at her with blank panic and sank deep into his chair. In a subdued voice he asked, "Howl or Markl?"

"Markl. Spilled his guts to me this morning. How long?"

"A week, maybe more."

"I see… And Howl?"

"Perhaps two weeks, I'm not sure. Markl told him first."

"How long till I was to be included?"

"We didn't want to upset you, Sophie," Barimus spoke in a placating voice.

"I am sick and tired of being handed about like a fractured piece of pottery, Barimus! I am not a brittle woman; it is insulting that you all think me so weak!"

"Dear, Sophie… Please," Barimus winced under her harsh tone and held up his hands guiltily.

"Don't try to romance me, red wizard. I am very angry right now. Is it true?"

"What do you mean?"

"The little girl!" She screamed and the ground beneath her trembled. She gave a start and came back to herself.

"I'm sorry, Barimus. I'm very upset," she muttered lamely as she pulled up a chair and sat in front of the Royal Wizard.

"It's quite alright, Sophie. I'm sorry. I had the best of intentions," He stumbled through an attempt to apologize to his sister in law, but gave up and continued, "I have nothing conclusive, but I do have several witches and wizards working on this right now. All we have to go on is the fact that Markl and Akarshan have both seen the little girl."

"Could it be true?" Sophie did not like hearing her voice quaver, nor did she care for how her hands were shaking. Her vision blurred for a moment as a fat tear fell onto her skirt. Barimus stood and came over to her, placing a consoling hand on her shoulder.

"Did you see the body?" She continued tremulously, a fragile tower of hope lifting her heart, "That night after they told me she had died, I couldn't. But did you?"

"No."

"So it might be possible?"

"We can hope?"

At that moment a score of able bodied witches and wizards crashed into the antechamber and looked from Barimus to Sophie. The red wizard straightened and stepped forward in front of the silver witch giving her a moment to recover.

"It's alright, friends! Do come in," the troupe entered and Sophie realized they looked very familiar. She remembered many of their faces from the day she and Howl had confronted the Wizard's Council.

"You all remember Lady Sophie, yes? Lady Sophie, this is my honor guard," Barimus spoke charmingly and the group nodded. Sophie was already on her feet and curtsied politely.

"I think I'll be going now, Barimus. I expect to be informed of any new developments as soon as possible."

With that the silver haired witch was on her way out the door and she felt eyes on her back as she went. Again the maze of rooms twisted in front of her and she was hopelessly lost. Turning, she viciously kicked a chair to vent her frustration and stubbed her toe.

"Blast this wretched place!" She swore nastily and paused as she caught sight of a familiar woman at the end of the hallway. The thin woman was dressed entirely in white. Empty was the best way Sophie could think to describe her. It took her a moment to recognize Councilor Raia's apprentice and the moment she did the woman took off around the corner.

"Wait!" She called as she chased after the fleeting figure, keeping her way by catching mere glimpses from time to time. The corridors grew narrower and plainer as she entered the older sections of the palace. All at once the hallway plunged into darkness as the empty woman pushed open a doorway ahead of Sophie, showing briefly like a dark shade in the rectangle of light.

"Wait!" She cried again as she burst through the rectangle of light, stumbling into the cavernous chamber in which the Wizard's Council held its meetings.

Unlike her last visit, it was dark and empty, filled with an ominous presence. The silver haired witch warily eyed the gilded mirrors that lined the walls high above the seating. Overhead the glass ceiling was shrouded in heavily rutched purple velvet curtains. A thin beam of the afternoon sunlight permeated the drapery, throwing half of the room into light while veiling the other in darkness. Her heart skipped quickly in her chest as the all too familiar circumstances made her limbs heavy with dread. Casting her eyes about, she could not see any sign of the empty woman. But a soft sound caught her attention.

Ahead, in the trail of light the split the room, a ball bounced out of the shadows. It should have been a child's toy, but it glowed like the moon. The sound of tiny feet pattered on the marble floor as a little girl dressed in a rough woolen smock ran after it. She was small and pale, probably only about six years old. As the girl stooped to pick up the toy, her back to the silver witch, she could see that her hair was bound in two little braids. It showed like starlight in the gloom.

Sophie felt as though the bottom of the world had fallen away from beneath her feet. Her legs ceased to work and she fell to her knees and let out a sob. Looking at the little girl, she knew that this child was her daughter. The silver haired witch half stumbled over to the little girl on her knees and realized that her daughter was weeping softly. She gently reached out and placed her hands on the girl with the earth shattering tenderness that resides in every mother. The little girl winced and cried harder, her little sobs rending Sophie's heart in two.

"Don't cry, little lamb," she whispered with all the love in her heart, "I'm here. I've found you!"

"Mommy," The little girl spoke in a small voice.

Sophie felt the magic before she saw the circle burst into light on the ground around her. The shadow that the little girl cast onto her lap darkened and reared up like a living column of black water. She shrieked as the empty woman coalesced out of the liquid ooze and seized her head, digging cruel talons into her flesh. The daemon drew its face close enough to kiss her lips, it hot breath vile on he face. She struggled but it forced the silver witch to look into its eyes, which once had been blind, but now were completely black.

The last thing Sophie heard was the sound of her lost child's desperate crying.

xXx

Markl was trying to read, emphasis on the trying.

Howl had still not come downstairs from his bedroom and that left only the apprentice and the fire daemon to entertain Shan. His little brother was feeling particularly attentive this morning, and the toddler sat on the edge of the couch, scooting closer and closer in a bid for attention. Calcifer was doing his best impression of a dying ember.

"What?" He finally grumbled as his brother burrowed into his side.

"I'm bored!" He sang in a long sing-song sigh.

"Why don't you go play with your toys?"

"I want to play with you, big brother!" Shan wined petulantly.

"I'm reading, Shan. Can't you see that?" Markl half groaned as he shut the book with a snap.

"Do that later, I want to play now!" She tugged at his brother's arm.

"Let's play hide and go seek," Markl pronounced slyly as he pretended to put his book aside.

"Yay!" Shan sang and dashed away upstairs as Markl started to count. He gave up at about twenty-five and picked up his book again with a sly smile. Markl noted that Calcifer was regarding him with hooded eyes from the fireplace.

"What?" Markl asked pertly.

"You're alright, kid. You know that?" Cal crackled with a toothy grin and rolled over in the ashes.

The young wizard managed to finish half a chapter before a door opened and closed and tiny feet sounded on the stairs.

"You're not even looking!" Shan cried incredulously, stamping his feet as his father had instructed.

"Yes I am and I found you too! Go hide again!" Markl began counting once more, never putting down his book.

"You're cheating!" Shan shouted as he pounded on the railing with his fists.

The little boy went still as a door overhead opened. Howl's heavy steps could be heard and the raven-haired man scooped up his son as he came down the steps. Markl put down his book and glanced at his master, whose eyes were hidden under his bangs. Calcifer rolled over and regarded his friend with large eyes

"Are you feeling better, papa?" Shan asked him with genuine concern as the man settled on the couch next to Markl. Their father stretched his long legs out to the edge of the fireplace, mirroring his eldest son's position. Markl had grown significantly and was almost as large as his master, but he still felt small next to the powerful wizard. They sat there for a moment, aware of the tension in the air. Even Shan was quite.

All of a sudden Howl reached his arm around Markl and gave each of his boys a bone crushing hug. He planted a kiss on the top of each of their heads and his eyes emerged from under his bangs as he tossed back his head with a sigh. Markl colored bright red, embarrassed by the open show of affection. But he allowed himself to be hugged and enjoyed it none the less.

All was right in the world.

"Where's your mother?" Howl asked.

Well, maybe not everything.

"She went to see Uncle Barimus! He's in trouble!" Shan said as he wiggled out of his father's embrace and bounced on the couch, clapping his hands. Calcifer groaned at the noise and hugged a bit of log to his head. Markl felt the weight of his father's arm very heavily now.

"Did she? Poor uncle Barimus," Howl spoke mildly.

There was a loud and persistent knock at the front door.

"Kingsbury door!" Calcifer snapped from under his bit of wood.

"That's probably your mother returning home for another victorious kill," Howl mused dramatically.

"I'll get it!" Shan squealed and leaped off the couch and down the stairs.

"It's a girl!" The little boy called in absolute surprise, as though he had never seen one before, "And she's got leaves in her hair!"

"Is Markl or Master Howl home?" A breathless voice called and Markl shot from the couch.

Theresa stood at the bottom of the stairs, red faced with her hoe in hand. There was a large scrape on her cheek, and one of her knees was bloody, probably from a fall.

"Theresa! What happened?" The young wizard cried as he flew down the stairs. Howl appeared shortly after the herbalist's assistant seized hold of Markl, and then danced in place tearfully as she saw the raven-haired wizard.

"Oh, come quick Master Howl! Martha is in a bad way again! Barimus can't do anything for her!"

Markl's master yanked her inside and slammed the portal shut. He dragged his hand across the surface of the wood leaving behind a green mark. Scooping up Shan as he yanked open the door, the family spilled into the Herbalist's shop by way of the front door.

"Barimus?" Howl thundered and Theresa shrank from him in terror.

"Here!" The red wizard called from upstairs.

The raven-haired man handed Shan off to Markl as he cautiously climbed up the stairs. In his othersight the ginger-haired apprentice could see the trailing green mists that filtered down the stairs.

"What's happening, Markl?" Shan demanded tremulously, his eyes wide with fear.

"Take him, Theresa. There's a circle of protection around the big table, go stand there and don't move till I tell you to."

The red-haired girl nodded and took the squirming little boy, who clutched at his older brother's sleeves.

"No! I don't want to go with her, Markl! I want to stay with you!" The little boy cried tremulously. Remembering how Sophie had once convinced him to stay behind in dire circumstances, the young wizard took a cue from his mother.

"You need to stay and protect, Theresa, okay Shan? Can you be a big boy and do that for me?"

"Okay…" The little boy let go of his shirt and the herbalist's assistant moved to stand by the table as Markl carefully went upstairs. The little boy clung to Theresa and they held their breath and stared at the ceiling. They held very still as though it would fall if they made too loud a noise. Suddenly Akarshan went very stiff in the red-headed girl's arms.

"Theresa, there's a bad lady in the garden," he whispered in a terrified voice.

"What? Where?" She replied equally quiet and followed the little boy's eyes out into the backyard. Just outside the door a tall and thin woman stood looking up at the second story.

"Who is she?" Theresa asked in a terrified voice.

"It's Mrs. Danna!" He replied louder than before.

He woman's attention snapped downward as though she heard him speak her name and she looked through the window straight at them. Her eyes blazed with hate as she moved forward and placed a hand on the window of the backdoor, the glass iced over beneath her palm. The door splintered inward under an explosion of power. They could see their breath as ice spread like a disease through the little cottage, forming a perfect circle around the magic barrier the two children stood in. The tall woman loomed in the doorway.

"I invoke the power of this house! You cannot come in!" Theresa screeched and the circle pulsed green beneath her feet. The woman paused on the threshold, a cruel smile twisting her lips. She stepped forward into the kitchen and the light outside seemed to flee from the world.

Beneath Theresa and Shan the circle of power flickered and went out.


	6. Chapter 6: Fire and Ice

**Children of the Stars: Part II of the Wallmaker saga**

**Chapter 6: Fire and Ice**

The cottage stairs were narrow. The ceiling overhead seemed to press down in the sinister gloom, and Markl was seized by irrational terror over the smallness of the passage. It pinched him like white hot irons making him feel light headed. But a greater fear kept him focused. His eyes fixed intently on the sickly green mists at his feet, which parted for him as he climbed higher. Light filtered dimly through the doorway on the landing and the young wizard pressed himself to the wall, cautiously skirted into the room.

He saw Martha first.

The herbalist was half collapsed on the ground in front of a small bed. His aunt's long hair was wild about her pale face and her breathing was labored. She was clinging to the foot railing as though her life depended on it, but her eyes were fixed on a ruby pendent that glinted on the bare wood floor just beyond her reach. Howl and Barimus stood at opposite corners of the room, but they were not looking at Martha. Their fierce eyes, which glinted with fey light, were searching the ceiling and they held their hands aloft as though they were trying to swat flies.

Markl was about to shout at them in anger for ignoring his youngest aunt's plight when he noticed the gloom that seemed to gather in the rafter. As he stared at the misplaced shadows, the squirrelly feeling in his chest alerted him that not all was what it seemed.

"Barimus…" Martha sobbed and the red wizard broke his watch, a wild look of despair in his eyes as he flicked his gaze at his suffering wife.

"Look out!" Howl barked as he made a swipe for something in the air.

Something moved in the ceiling above. Three ghoulish beings shed their gloom, the shadows flying away like bits of soot. Their bodies were gnarled and twisted like knotted roots, colored a corpse-like grey flesh with thick black taloned hands. Over their heads were what looked like burlap sacks with ripped holes for eyes. They had no mouths, but hooted viciously none the less. The puppet daemons reached into the air and hauled at invisible threads, which whistled and snicked about the room like the sound of a blade whipped from its sheath. Martha jerked upright into the air like a doll on a string and screamed as her arms were torn from the bedrail and twisted in different directions.

"There are three!" Barimus shouted as he caught a hold of something in the air at the same time Howl's hands found purchase on an invisible thread. A gossamer line whizzed by Markl's face, a shimmering cord in his othersight. Reaching out, the young wizard closed his hands around it and pulled with all his strength.

"Got it!" He cried exultantly.

Martha fell to the ground as the daemons once again retreated into the shadows; but the wizards had them by their magic.

"Pull!" Howl growled as he heaved downwards on the invisible line. Between the three of them, the daemons surfaced from the shadows, moaning like a rusted hinge.

"Burn!" Barimus commanded and red fire shot like an arrow along the thread in his grasp. A twin blue flame lanced out of Howl's hand and two of the daemons over head shrieked and crumbled into ash. But Markl stared up into the empty tears that were the last puppet daemon's eyes and felt only chill in his heart. He was not yet that strong a wizard to call fire so easily.

The thing threw itself from the ceiling and landed heavily on the bed, causing its legs to snap with a crunch. Still holding onto the thread, the ginger haired boy was yanked into the air with a yelp. He sailed forward over his aunt and dangled like a worm on a hook.

"Markl, let go!" Howl shouted.

But the young apprentice was paralyzed with fear as he gazed into the nothing beyond the slits in the gruesome creature's bag.

Time seemed to slow.

Markl could only watch with morbid fascination as the fabric of its hood split with a moist sound, revealing a hungry needled grin. His sandy hair stirred gently in its breath as it leaned forward over the foot of the bed; it smelled like sulfur and ash. Suddenly the thing shrieked as a pale hand thrust a red jewel against its skin, which hissed and charred with a plume of evil jade smoke. Aunt Martha pulled herself to her feet and thrust the red wizard's talisman after the beast as it tumbled backwards and up the wall above the bed.

Time returned.

The enraged daemon jumped like a spider, avoiding the handfuls of blue and crimson flame the two wizards cast at it. Once again, it retreated into the gloom of the ceiling as Barimus swept his wife into his arms. Howl watched over the rafters, bits of fire dripped from his hands burning marks into the floor, but he never faltered in his vigilance.

"Are you alright, Markl?" Martha whispered hoarsely, her dark eyes full of worry for him. She managed to grab a handful of her nephew's shirt around Barimus' intense embrace. The red wizard let go of the herbalist long enough to haul his nephew to his feet. But Markl's knees were not with him in that moment and he almost fell again. Hot shame bloomed within him over his weakness and he managed a nod as he turned his eyes back towards the ceiling. He felt light-headed and wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him as the ground seemed to heave beneath his feet.

The daemon coalesced out of the shadows above, but was no longer interested in them. It seemed to be listening to something else beyond their ability to hear. It shuddered and ripped a hole through the wall, which showed the scorched sky of the burned place beyond the Wall. The otherwind tore through the room for a moment before it dove through, taking its portal with it.

"That was a powerful daemon!" Howl spoke in a low voice as his fire extinguished, although he still stared at the place it had disappeared, "It opened a portal to the scorched plains."

Barimus seemed shaken at its retreat, but the analytical side of his personality took over in spite of himself, "It lingered after its cousins fell so it obviously wasn't frighten of us. What would make it leave so quickly?"

"Markl," Howl spoke softly, dread creeping into his eyes as he looked at his apprentice, "Where is Akarshan?"

A shockwave like an earthquake rocked the house. The glass in the windows shattered under the thunderclap that boomed beneath their feet. The wooden floor splintered explosively and heaved upwards. The cottage moaned and shuddered as it split in two. Barimus and Martha were torn away from their nephew as half the floor gave way and crashed into the kitchen below. They scrambled backwards staring at him in shock over the deep chasm that had formed under the tiny cottage.

"Markl!" Martha shrieked and reached out to him, but the red wizard snatched her back as bricks poured like water from above.

The floor beneath Markl slanted downwards dangerously and he flailed his arms to keep his on his feet. With a woeful sigh, the ceiling overhead jolted an inch and teetered for a moment as it held is balance. As it collapsed Markl was yanked backwards into strong arms as dust and rubble tumbled down around them.

xXx

Theresa stared in horror as the cold woman moved slowly over the ice in the kitchen.

The light around them seemed to flee her presence. The red headed girl was trembling in terror and almost took a step backwards out of the circle. A shock of ice licked at her foot. She gave a shriek as she hurried away from the edge, inching around the great oak table to put it between her and the intruder. She was dressed in a long green dress that trailed behind her like cobwebs. In spite of the fact that the circle of power beneath them had flickered and gone out, she stopped at the edge. The woman gazed down with contempt and then raised her eyes, which were bright with malice that did not reach her impassive face.

"Girl, give me the child." The woman commanded as she held out her hands expectantly.

"No! You go away, Mrs. Danna! You're not allowed in here!" Shan shouted at her even though he clung to Theresa in fear.

The woman regarded him with disgust, as though she was loath to touch him in spite of her demands. The herbalist's apprentice was mad with panic but rooted in place by the elder woman's steel grey eyes. As she reached out for Shan, a lance of blue-purple flame flew over Theresa's shoulder. The spark struck the cold healer in the chest, roaring up to consume her in fire.

"Calcifer!" Shan cried exultantly.

Mrs. Dana stumbled backward and hit the wall, catching curtains, books, and bits of paper on fire. She bowed for a moment as though being crushed by a great weight, then straightened like a bolt.

As the woman burst into a crackling nimbus of black and purple flame, an array of shadowed beings lifted from the ground like thin ghosts made of black smoke. They gathered around her ankles in wavering overlapped shapes. Some clawed weakly at the floor in an attempt to flee, but the thin roots of their forms were pinned beneath her feet. They gazed about with empty eyes and plucked piteously at her clothes with tendril-like limbs. All of the shades shrank and cowered from the heat of the witch's flames and the cold of her ice. Every hair on Theresa's body stood on end as the dim creatures turned their mournful empty eyes at she and Shan, reaching towards them with gaping mouths.

The witch's clothes scorched and blackened like charcoal even as the ground snapped and froze beneath her feet. She reached into her chest, which crumbled under her hand like ash, and drew out a flickering blue cinder. The woman seemed to gather herself up as ice seeped from the gaping hole in her breast. She tossed the ember onto the table, where he landed with a fizzled hiss. Raising her eyes, which burned like silver fire, she regarded the lick of red flame with unfettered contempt.

"Foolish daemon. You will find nothing there left to consume," her words echoed with a thousand brass voices, which clambered and vibrated in baleful choruses.

Calcifer trembled brighter for a moment as he pushed himself off of the table, leaving a burn mark beneath him. He regarded the woman with green terror as she stretched and twisted, loosing her shape as she became living fire with burning grey eyes that wept molten iron.

"I curse you and your family, Wallmaker's son!" The witch of fire and ice spat as she towered larger. Like a crackling vortex, she seeming to draw in all things, light, dark, living and not, as she prepared to unleash her fury.

"I will show you and this wretched world the true meaning of sorrow!" Her voice roared like a thunderclap, shattering the glass in the cottage windows.

"Fly!" Calcifer piped as he shot backwards towards the open front door, which still showed through to the castle from whence they had come.

Theresa realized she still had her hoe in hand, and had been brandishing it like a weapon. Tucking it beneath her, she clutched Shan to her chest as they sailed over the blighted ice floor, which reaching for them with tendrils of frozen mist. Just as she crossed back into the magic castle the shockwave a violent detonation behind them threw them against the stairs.

The door slammed shut before the blast could rush through.

xXx

"Markl!"

A voice filtered through the aching haze that filled the young wizard's mind. A heavy weight pinned him down, sharp bits of rubble dug uncomfortably into his back. For a moment the complete black that enveloped him sent a shock of white cold panic through him. He began to thrash violently.

"Don't stuggle!"

The young wizard froze as a groaning shudder shook the surroundings. Somewhere something collapsed with a crash, sending more plaster and grit down onto them. Overhead a tiny beam of light filtered through the filthy haze. In the dim light of the small space he realized the weight that pinned him in place was his master's body. Howl strained backwards with both magic and brute force against a wall that would have crushed them, his hands planted just above the young man's shoulders. The elder wizard's face was smeared with dust and his black haired plastered to his face, which was damp with exertion. He features twisted into an intense expression of pain and concentration as the wall moaned again and shuddered.

"Master?" Markl coughed as his senses returned to him.

"Thank the gods you're alright."

The raven-haired man let out the anxious breath he had been holding; it stirred the young boy's hair due to their closeness. The elder wizard's eyes were bright in the dark as he held his apprentice's gaze.

"Can you move your legs?"

"I think so?" Markl wiggled his limbs gently fearing the weight looming over them would come crashing down should he move to quickly.

"Good," Howl's voice was resolved as he flashed his eyes toward the glow that trickled from a small gap in the rubble, "See the light? I want you to wiggle out from under me and try to climb out."

"What about you?" Markl's voice was tight and high.

"If I move the wall will crush us."

It took a moment to understand what his master was saying and mortification filled him, "I'm not leaving you!"

"Blast it, Markl, I can't hold the wall much longer!" Howl snarled angrily. Almost in response to his words the wreckage overhead snapped and vibrated, bricks tumbling around them from above.

"I'm not leaving you, father!" The young man shouted back.

Markl could count on one hand how many times he had called Howl anything but master to his face. In spite of the fact that both his foster parents openly called him son, he still could not quite accept their love without hesitation. He had grown up an orphan; knowing nothing but loss, he always expected anything good to be fleeting. Even after living with Howl for years, he still half expected to be turned out into the streets. Like Howl, Markl loved his family desperately and secretly harbored enormous anxiety over loosing any of them. He remembered too keenly how it had felt when the Wallbreaker had taken Howl away. Even the memory still brought a chill to his heart.

It was easy to love Sophie and call her mother; simply being around the silver haired witch put him at ease. It was not that Markl did not love Howl, quite to the contrary. He loved his foster father so fiercely that it complicated things. Markl wanted more than anything to make his master proud and in his desperation he was afraid: afraid to fail him, to disappoint him, and most of all to loose him. As a result, the apprentice held himself at a distance, refusing to call Howl father and accept the permanence of their kinship out of fear that it would one day cease to be true.

Markl's words seemed to have an effect on the raven-haired sorcerer. Howl blinked in surprise. The anger in his eyes melted to a softer expression, in spite of the furious scowl on his face. The young wizard suddenly reached past his father's shoulders and pushed against the wall with all his might.

"What are you doing?" Howl snapped in surprise.

"I'm helping you! Now push!" Markl growled back and heaved against the wall with all his might. Under their combined efforts the remains of the wall shifted, after a moment where they both saw spots from their exertion, it yielded.

"Howl?" A familiar voice called from somewhere overhead.

"Barimus, we're here!" The raven-haired man shouted.

"You three, help me!" The red wizard called to someone else overhead and the weight of the wall lifted from them, exposing a red sky marred by soot and fire.

Howl collapsed to one knee as the debris crashed away from them. Markl slung his arm over his shoulder, helping his master to his feet. There was a smear of red against his temple but other than that they were fine. The young wizard cast his eyes around the smoldering shell that had once been his aunt's shop. It looked as if a bomb had been dropped on the house. Barimus dropped from a pile of bricks above them and nearly knocked them over as he crushed them in his arms.

"We're fine, brother!" Howl choked as the red wizard peered at them anxiously. His uncle had a long gash on his cheek and a good deal of plaster in his corn silk hair. The odd juxtaposition gave him the look of a clown that had just been in a roadside accident.

"I'll let my wife be the judge of that! Martha?"

Markl caught sight of his youngest Aunt, who was being helped through the rubble by a witch and two wizards, all in matching red uniforms. The Ingarian coat of arms was embroidered onto the chest of their garments. His aunt inspected him critically with the eyes of an experienced triage healer. She seemed satisfied that he would live and then rounded on his master, gently turning Howl's head to scrutinize his scalp wound. The raven haired wizard suddenly seized a handful of his brother's begrimed shirt, a look of horror passing over his white face.

"The children?" He all but demanded.

"Howl, they're fine!" Barimus pointed into the distance, where the magic portal remained standing, if not badly scorched, "Theresa and Shan managed to get through the front door to the castle before the blast went off. Two of my honor guards are with them as we speak."

Howl wilted against Markl and probably would have fallen if his apprentice had not hefted him back up. Four more wizards in red uniforms clambered through the ruins and saluted Barimus.

"Lord Councilor, the fires have been contained."

"Good. Not now Martha," The red wizard batted at the herbalist's hands and turned away from his wife, who was attempting to blot at the blood oozing from the gouge on his cheek, "What about the daemons?"

"Sir, they have not been banished as of yet. A curfew has been called for non-magical citizens. All able-bodied witches and wizards have been summoned to help with the hunt."

"Inform the King at once and call together the Council."

"What is going on Barimus?" Howl demanded, having come back to his senses. The red wizard turned his eyes back to his apprentice brother, his voice grim as he spoke.

"A series of magic explosions were set off throughout the capital, which momentarily created a rift into the otherworld. Somehow a few daemons from beyond the wall got through."

"That's impossible," Markl exclaimed, "there's no way they could have crossed the Wall on their own,"

"Nothing is impossible Markl," Howl's voice became dangerous as he continued, "The magic here smells unsettlingly familiar, Barimus."

The red wizard's face was forbidding as he spoke, "One of the guards that questioned Akarshan and Theresa said that moments before the explosion they encountered a witch in the house. Shan says that her name is Mrs. Danna."

"Why does that name sound familiar?" Howl's faced twisted for a moment as he strained to remember.

"Let's not talk here, it's not safe," Barimus dismissed the troop of red-uniformed witches and wizards. As the magic guards left, the red wizard turned and folded his arms around his wife. Martha squirmed one of her arms out of the embrace to dab at his cheek once more.

"I want to see my son, Barimus." The raven-haired wizard pronounced as he disentangled himself from his apprentice, leaving no indication that he would be swayed. Markl felt a stab of sorrow mixed with resentment at having been cast off so quickly, but kept his feeling to himself.

"Fine, we'll go to your castle. Besides, I'd like to get Calcifer's version of all this. Apparently he was with the children just before the blast."

"Will the portal still work?" Markl sounded dubious as he gazed at the cinder covered door. It poked out of the rubble, leaning precariously as though it would fall to ashes at any moment.

"The magic is intact," Howl moved over to it briskly and brushed its surface with his hand, a fey look in his eyes. After a moment he knocked loudly.

The door opened inward, showing through to the castle stairs. Two large wizards in red uniforms loomed menacingly then stood at attention as they looked past to Barimus.

"Papa! Markl!" Shan called from within.

The little boy could be seen on the top of the stairs beyond the wizards, struggling to extricate himself from Theresa's arms. The herbalist's apprentice was pale faced with worry and almost melted with relief as she caught sight of all of them.

"You may go," Barimus saluted the guards and waved them out of the doorway, "Tell the Council I am at the Wizard Howl's castle. Send updates immediately by a magic messenger only. Destroy this door as soon as we are through."

As the family entered the castle, Shan broke free of Theresa's arms and flew down the stairs. Howl scooped him up and tucked the little boy's head under his chin as he went and collapsed on the couch. As soon as the door closed, Martha took a hold of the front of her husband's shirt and dragged him up the stairs past their nephew.

"Martha, what the devil-" Barimus squawked in surprise.

But the herbalist cut him off as she pushed him to a seat on one of the kitchen benches. She gave him such a flintily stare as he tried to speak that his words dried up. The red wizard sat there gaping. The green witch whisked over to the skin and filled a basin with warm water, snatching up a clean cloth on her return trip. Barimus had tried to stand again, but Martha shoved him back down. Kicking up one leg and then the other, she straddled her husband so he could not escape and began to clean his wound. The red wizard became truly crimson as he flushed furiously, submitting meekly to his wife's ministrations. Martha softened as she worked, and sweetened her strong medicine by planting a kiss on her husband's forehead.

Markl was distracted by his aunt and uncle and only just realized that Theresa was standing next to him. He gave a start as she took a hold of his sleeve. As he looked down at her he noticed she was crying. Dropping her hoe, the young herbalist seized the young wizard around the middle into a fierce hug, sobbing into his shirt. Markl was quite at a loss for what to do; blushing furiously as he threw up his arms in alarm.

"Umm… There, there. It's okay," he murmured softly, reaching down hesitantly to pat the red-headed girl's shoulder. Apparently it wasn't helping because Theresa began to cry harder.

"No, it's not okay!" She cried in a quavering voice around gasps for air. In the moments that followed she recounted in minute detail what had happened in the kitchen of Martha's herbalist shop. The room was silent save for the gentle sobbing of the red-haired little girl.

Markl felt awful. As a wizard's apprentice he had forgotten how terrifying magic could be. Furthermore, his life had already taken him through a series of magical ordeals he had begun to accept as normal. Theresa was not a witch, nor had she ever experienced the true perils that magic could bring. He reached down and hugged her close to him and that seemed to help. A secret place beneath his heart seemed to flicker and glow as he brought her over to the couch. Theresa tucked her knees under her chin and sniffled, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. Howl's voice broke the silence.

"Calcifer, why are you hiding?"

The fire daemon was a tiny ember hidden among the logs in the fireplace. He colored a sickly green-blue as he dwindled larger and peeked out at them with solemn wide eyes.

"This lady is bad news, Howl. She had at least thirteen daemons enslaved within her. She rules them and their magic, not the other way around. I've never seen anything like it."

This plunged the room into silence once more. Martha stood, having decided that her husband would live. She came to the couch and scooted Markl aside, placing a consoling hand on Theresa's shoulder. Shan emerged from under Howl's chin, his face covered in plaster and grim transferred from his father's shirt.

"Drie told me her name is Mrs. Danna. She cursed us, papa!" He whispered gravely.

"Who is Drie, Shan?" Howl asked with a frown.

"The little girl with the silver hair I met in the village. Oops! I'm not supposed to talk about that," the little boy clamped his hands over his mouth and shoved his head back under the wizard's chin. Howl seemed seriously disturbed by what his youngest son had just said. He cast a look at Markl, who avoided his gaze.

"Danna," Barimus mused from the kitchen bench, "Now I remember where I've heard that name before. He was one of the lesser magicians who was lost to the Dark during the time of the Wallbreaker."

"His wife?" Martha murmured softly as she stared at Calcifer.

Howl shot to his feet, half dropping Shan, who gave a squeak as he slid to the floor. The little boy whined petulantly but climbed up into Martha's lap as she settled on the couch next to Theresa. Markl felt a cold knot grow in his stomach as he realized he had completely forgotten about his mother in the chaos.

"Sophie?"

The raven haired wizard called as he stepped over his son. He pounded up the stairs and he could be heard calling his wife's name over and again. His calls went unanswered. The master of the castle came pounding downstairs and nearly knocked his apprentice brother off the bench as he loomed over him.

"Barimus, did Sophie come to see you?" Howl demanded fiercely.

"Yes. But she left only moments before Theresa came with news of Martha. It would have taken Sophie some time to get out of the castle. It's possible she might be detained by the wizard's guard for her own safety. Don't worry, Howl, I'm sure she's…"

The red wizard's words were cut off by a loud knock at the front door.

"Kingsbury door!" Calcifer called.

"See? That's probably her right now," Barimus stood, but Howl scowled him back to a seat.

The raven-haired wizard went to the front door and threw it open. The hopefully look on his face melted to an angry glower as a witch in a red uniform saluted him.

"I bring news for the Lord Councilor," she entered quickly as Howl fell away from the portal and let her pass as he shut the door. The cold knot in Markl's chest grew heavier and heavier with each step the messenger took.

"Sir! King Ferdinand is safe and well guarded. All non-magic citizens have been ushered home. However, sir, I bring ill news," the witch announced, "Councilor Raia has been murdered. The body was discovered shortly after the attacks began. Her apprentice is missing."

"That poor old woman; who would want to harm an old senile witch?" Barimus' face was ashen with surprise.

"Sir! There is more. This was just found in the Council Hall as the palace was searched," The messenger reached into her pocket and held out a necklace out to Barimus.

The blue stone showed like a crystal tear in the light.

It was the sapphire talisman that Howl gave Sophie on their wedding day. The silver haired witch always wore around her neck. The raven haired wizard uttered a hoarse cry and flew forward from the landing, snatching the pendant from her hand. He stared at it for a long moment, all colored draining from his face. He held up the hand on which he wore the magic ring with the red stone, the twin of the ring his wife wore.

"Sophie!" He snarled and the light in the room dimmed for a moment as the castle creaked and moaned. Nothing happened, the jewel was dark. "SOPHIE!" Howl's voice thundered as the otherwind erupted around him.

But the ring on his finger remained lifeless.

**To be continued in ****_Twilight Doom: Part III of the Wallmaker Saga_**

* * *

Are you all still interested in this story? Or am I beating it to death? Comments would be really appreciated, good and bad?

As always, thank you for reading :)


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